Sushi Taste Tasting in Manhattan NYC

A global consulting firm contacted SIS International Research to conduct a Sushi Food Taste Test at our NYC Focus Group Facility just before the busy Thanksgiving holiday.

Background: The product was an in-store brand of Sushi purchased at convenience stores. The client needed to make urgent decisions about whether to "roll" out new products to the American market.  

Goals: The goal was to understand American consumers' taste preferences, gain quantitative data on freshness, and receive other food sensory data to determine if ingredient modifications were needed.

The study's challenges included:

1. Procuring a substantial quantity of hard-to-find different Sushi brands located in far reaches of NYC
2. Ensuring the freshness of Sushi, a highly perishable food item
3. Tight turnaround (less than 1 week) right before a major American holiday

A total of 750 Sushi pieces were consumed by 50 respondents in the study.

From procuring the hard-to-find Sushi samples in different boroughs across NYC to leading logistics and seamless project execution, we mobilized our entire team.

Scope: The Interview was 30 to 45min long, rating 15 Sushi roll types on roughly 8 dimensions (0-10 scale). Questions concerned Smell, Rice / Fish quality, Size, Aesthetics, Tray quality, Handling, Packaging, Quality of condiments and others. 

Attention to Detail: Because of the large number of rolls, a great attention of detail and a robust team were needed. The team had to take great care in presenting the assortments of many different Sushi rolls. The project also required providing many Sushi accessories including Wasabi, Soy Sauce, Ginger, Napkins and others.

Location: Our Focus Group and Taste Testing Facility in Manhattan, NYC (Flatiron District)

Methodology: CAPI via Tablets

Deadline: The turnaround was less than 1 week from kick off to submission of the data file

Impact

In less than 1 week, SIS successfully recruited 50 respondents just before a major holiday to taste test 5 different Sushi brands at our own facility in NYC. The data was immediately useful to the client who made decisions on the product and their US Market Expansion plans.

The timing was urgent but through coordination, teamwork and hard work, SIS managed to research and procure the Sushi from locations such as New Jersey, Long Island & NYC to meet the deadline.

Does your company want to test your product through a Focus Group or Product Test?

SIS has the testing facilities, responsiveness and experience to get it done rapidly in a "New York Minute!" Learn more at www.sisinternational.com