Claims testing
Find the claims people believe and care about
A claim earns its space only if people notice it, understand it, believe it and care. Claims testing ranks your claims by what makes people want to buy, and shows which ones raise doubts.
Set 3 of 9
Which would most make you want to buy it? And least?
MostLeast
- Same clean, 70% less plastic
- Fresh citrus scent
- Refills your bottle in 10 seconds
- New look, same formula
Why rank claims
When every claim looks important
A pack front or a product page has room for two or three claims, and the team usually has a dozen. Rated one by one, most of them look fine, so they all stay. The result is a crowded pack where the claim that matters gets lost. Claims testing makes people trade claims off against each other. It shows which ones pull their weight, which ones people doubt or misread, whether the best claim changes by audience, and which can go.
What can go on the bench
Fourteen claims, one run
Watch fourteen claims become two
- 01Every claim, the same length and style
- 02Four at a time, most and least
- 03The ranking builds up
- 04Keep, fix or take off
Step 1 / 4
Every claim, the same length and style
We even out the wording, so a claim does not win just because it is better written.
Study set-up
Claims testing
- StimulusFourteen possible claims for a new refill pouch
- WhoUS buyers of household cleaners
- TaskFour claims at a time: the most and the least motivating
- ThenThe leaders rated for belief, clarity and difference
- In placeThe pack as a picture: what catches the eye
Set up with our team, or yourself in CatalyseAI
Step 2 / 4
Four at a time, most and least
People pick the claim that would most make them want to buy, and the one that would least. Each screen takes seconds.
Set 3 of 9
Which would most make you want to buy it? And least?
MostLeast
- Same clean, 70% less plastic
- Fresh citrus scent
- Refills your bottle in 10 seconds
- New look, same formula
"I doubt a refill cleans as well as the bottle."
"Ten seconds to refill? That is the one for me."
"New look does not tell me anything."
Step 3 / 4
The ranking builds up
Every claim gets a preference share. The leaders are then checked one by one for belief and clarity.
Preference share, so far
- 1Same clean, 70% less plastic14.2%
- 2Refills your bottle in 10 seconds13.1%
- The cut
- 3Made with plant-based cleaning agents9.4%
- 4Cuts through grease on the first wipe8.7%
- 5No harsh fumes8.1%
- 6One pouch makes two full bottles7.6%
- 7Fresh citrus scent6.9%
- 8Recyclable pouch6.5%
Step 4 / 4
Keep, fix or take off
The ranking says what motivates; the checks say what to fix. A leading claim people doubt needs proof beside it.
The ranking
Every claim ranked, then checked one by one
Each row is one claim, in order of preference share. The columns are the measures the report names.
Base: US buyers of household cleaners; four claims per screen, every claim seen next to the others.
Preference share adds up to 100%. The top five claims were rated one by one: top-two-box shares.
- 1Same clean, 70% less plasticKeep, add proof48%81%66%74%
- 2Refills your bottle in 10 secondsKeep71%86%62%72%
- 3Made with plant-based cleaning agents63%77%49%61%
- 4Cuts through grease on the first wipe58%84%38%63%
- 5No harsh fumes69%88%41%59%
- 6One pouch makes two full bottles----
- 7Fresh citrus scent----
- 8Recyclable pouch----
- 9Safe around kids and pets when used as directed----
- 10Dermatologist tested----
- 11Biodegradable formula----
- 12Made in a solar-powered plantTake off----
- 13Lasts for monthsTake off----
- 14New look, same formulaTake off----
Take-out
What people say the lead claim tells them
What people think the claim is telling them, in their own words.
- A refill that cleans as well52%
- Less waste31%
- It is cheaper9%
Taps
Share of taps on the pack, by area
Where people tap on the design when asked what catches their eye, and what puts them off.
- Front claim34%
- Product name27%
- Logo22%
- Side panel6%
- Preference share How often a claim is picked as the most motivating, against how often it is picked as the least.
- Believability Whether people believe the claim is true of this product.
- Clarity Whether people understand what the claim means.
- Uniqueness Whether the claim says something other brands do not.
- Appeal How much the claim makes the product more attractive.
The decision
Example: fourteen claims for a refill pouch
A US household-cleaner brand has fourteen possible claims for a new refill pouch. Buyers of household cleaners rank them four at a time. Two claims lead clearly. One of them is also the least believable of the top five, because people doubt a refill cleans as well as the original bottle. The team keeps it, but adds a short line of proof beneath it. Three claims rank at the bottom and come off the pack. On the pack picture, few people tap the side panel, so the lead claim moves to the front.
Same clean, 70% less plastic
Keep, add proof
It leads the ranking, but it is the least believed of the top five.
Add a short line of proof beneath it.
Refills your bottle in 10 seconds
Keep
A close second, clear and believed.
It goes on the front with the lead claim.
Three claims
Take off
They rank at the bottom for this audience.
They come off the pack.
Ask the studyAnswers from your own data
Why is the lead claim the least believed of the top five?
In the open answers, people doubt that a refill cleans as well as the original bottle. A short line of proof under the claim answers the doubt they name most.
It checks its numbers against your data and draws the chart.
The process
How we test claims
From a long list of claims to the two that lead.
01
Gather the claims and even out the wording
List every claim you are considering, from the pack, the ads or the website. We make them alike in length and style, so a claim does not win just because it is better written.
02
Rank them with best-and-worst choices
People see four claims at a time and pick the one that would most make them want to buy and the one that would least. Over a few screens, every claim is seen next to the others. Each screen takes seconds and works on a phone.
03
Check the leaders one by one
The top claims are rated for how believable, how clear and how different they are, on five-point scales with every point labeled. People also say in their own words what each claim tells them.
04
See the claim in place
Show the pack or the ad as a picture, and people tap what catches their eye and what puts them off. Name areas such as the claim or the logo, and you get the share who tapped each one.
05
Read the ranking next to the doubts
The ranking says what motivates; the checks say what to fix. A claim near the top that few people believe needs proof beside it, not a bigger font.
Then: decide
The lead claim gets a line of proof beneath it.
Plan your study
What you get back
What you get
Output 01
Claims ranked by pull
Every claim with a score for how much it makes people want to buy, and how far apart the claims are.
Output 02
Doubts and confusion, flagged
Believability and clarity for the leading claims, with the share who found each one hard to believe or hard to follow.
Output 03
What people take from each claim
Open answers grouped into themes, so you can see whether a claim says what you meant it to say.
Output 04
Taps on your design
A heatmap on the pack or ad, with the share of taps in each area you name.
Output 05
Results by audience
Up to five audience groups side by side, such as parents and non-parents, with markers that show which differences are statistically real.
FAQ
Questions, answered
Does this prove my claim is true?
No. Consumer research shows what people believe and care about. It does not replace the evidence and legal review a claim needs before it goes on a pack or into an ad.
How many claims can I test at once?
About ten to thirty suits best-and-worst choices. With more, we split the list across more people. With only three or four, simple ratings on their own may be enough.
Can I test claims on the pack itself?
Yes. Show the pack as a picture and ask people to tap what they notice. Any claim you want people to tap must be printed on the picture.
Should I use claims testing or message testing?
Use claims testing for short statements about the product, such as an ingredient, a benefit or a proof point. Use message testing for longer lines, such as a campaign idea or a tagline.
Related
Goes well with
Too many claims for one pack?
Send us your list and the design it is for. We will suggest how to word the claims, how to show them and how many people you need.
Nearest office: Orlando, FL (corporate office)