Project SWITCH: Modelling Human Factors to predict Form Conversion for Consumer Goods Products

The SWITCH project will understand & model, via new consumer research, data analysis methodologies & tools, the human factors that affect consumers' conversion into different product forms (e.g. laundry detergent powder to liquid) for household goods in key markets: UK, China, and Brazil. We aim to improve our capability, beyond the state of the art, to predict & therefore influence form conversion. This will result in: 1) improved consumer experience (at retail and use); 2) increased product sales of more modern forms which typically have improved environmental impact; 3) market share/category growth. Current limited understanding does not allow us to predict market response to new forms well, resulting in wasted investment. This study will focus on a much wider variety of data, including social media, to glean more insights into our consumers preferred product forms, and what factors would trigger conversion. We will use emerging data analysis techniques to create new mathematical models that will help us predict market conversion readiness. This study can then be reapplied across multiple industries for products that exist in different forms.