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Why Highlight

Streamline research with the only in-home product testing platform that provides full visibility from recruit to data-set.

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What's Included

Highlight streamlines everything from recruit to data set, including all the logistics of getting your product to your target customers, whether they are cat-owning millennials or women over 50 in California with oily skin looking for retinol.

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Sensory testing and evaluation for real-time insights

Need consumer feedback on your latest formula or ingredient change? Unsure what your target consumer thinks of your new product? Skip the lab and test with real people. Our product testing platform delivers honest consumer feedback on taste, texture, and aroma preferences.

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Interested in becoming a product tester?

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TURN SENSORY DATA INTO WINNING PRODUCTS

Taste test your product at lightning speeds–with real customers
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Conduct taste and sensory tests quickly and efficiently, without the need for a physical testing facility. Our speed to insight helps you get the right formulations to market faster.

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The Highlight platform ensures high-quality data by recruiting a diverse and representative sample of vetted and pre-screened product testers to participate in sensory and taste testing studies. This delivers more accurate and relevant feedback than traditional sensory panels.

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Researchers can access live data dashboards that stream consumer feedback in real-time, providing instant visibility into how your benchtop samples are performing. This arms R&D teams with the data and confidence they need to make tweaks to product formulation pre-launch.

HOW SMART TEAMS VALIDATE PRODUCTS BEFORE LAUNCH

Our platform helps you understand exactly how your products taste, smell, and feel to real customers before you commit to production

Have an in-market product or product line that needs renovating?

We can taste test that, too.

Recruit qualified tasters who match your target market

Finding the right sensory panel is often challenging because taste preferences vary dramatically across demographics, dietary habits, and cultural backgrounds. 

Highlight connects you with pre-screened consumers who actually represent your intended audience, not just anyone willing to try free samples. This targeted approach ensures the feedback you receive accurately predicts how your real customers will respond in the marketplace.
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Track sensory attributes with precision and consistency

Sensory evaluation requires standardized measurement of taste, aroma, texture, and visual appeal across all test participants. Our testing protocols guide real consumer testers through systematic evaluation processes that capture nuanced differences between product variations. This research-grade approach eliminates the noise of casual opinions and delivers reliable data you can use to make formulation decisions.

Scale testing without compromising quality or speed

Whether you're testing a single SKU or an entire product line, Highlight handles it all. From participant recruitment to data analysis, you can run multiple studies simultaneously without overwhelming your internal resources. We also manage the entire logistics chain—from receiving your products at our facility to shipping them directly to qualified testers—so you can focus on developing great products instead of coordinating shipments and tracking deliveries.
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How King's Hawaiian accelerated product development through rapid consumer testing

  • Achieved 94% completion rate across 180 units tested nationwide in just 4 days from shipment to live data
  • Delivered actionable consumer insights in under two weeks to enable pre-launch product optimization
  • Generated comprehensive feedback across three critical business areas: sensory optimization, brand-product fit, and pricing strategy
  • Reduced research costs while accelerating decision-making speed for line extension evaluation

Getting started is simple
Design your test

Design your test

Define your objectives, create your survey, and set parameters for your ideal testers.

We ship your products

We ship your products

We handle recruitment and distribution to get your products into the right homes.

See your data instantly

See your data instantly

Gather feedback through our platform and transform data into actionable insights.

Gather reliable consumer sensory insights
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Recipe reformulation testing

Test ingredient changes without compromising taste or texture preferences your customers already love. Compare reformulated versions against your current product to ensure quality standards remain high while meeting new requirements.

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Flavor profile optimization

Fine-tune taste, aroma, and mouthfeel characteristics based on target consumer preferences and market positioning. Use structured sensory evaluation to make data-backed decisions about which flavor directions will resonate most with your audience.

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Quality control benchmarking

Establish consistent sensory standards across production batches to maintain brand reliability and consumer trust. Create objective criteria that production teams can follow to ensure every product meets your established quality thresholds.

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Market entry feasibility

Test product concepts with local consumer panels before entering new geographic markets or demographic segments. Understand cultural preferences and regional taste variations that could impact your product's success in unfamiliar territories.

See Highlight in action

Watch how leading CPG brands are leveraging Highlight's platform to transform their product testing process, capture authentic consumer insights, and bring winning products to market faster.

Turn consumer sensory data into crystal clear product decisions

Get reliable sensory feedback from real consumers before you commit to production, so you can catch issues that could sink your launch.

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Common sensory testing questions
How do in-home sensory testing tools compare to traditional lab-based sensory evaluation methods or focus groups? A: In-home sensory testing captures authentic consumer behavior in natural usage environments, while lab settings often create artificial conditions that don't reflect real-world experiences. Highlight's IHUT (In-Home Usage Testing) approach allows consumers to evaluate products during their normal routines, providing more reliable sensory feedback. 

Traditional lab testing may miss contextual factors like meal timing, mood, or environmental influences that affect sensory perception. Our method also eliminates the artificial pressure of lab environments where participants might alter their natural responses. This authentic approach reduces the risk of product failures by validating sensory attributes under realistic consumption conditions.
What analytical features should I look for in sensory testing tools to interpret complex data effectively? A: Effective sensory analysis requires tools that translate raw consumer feedback into clear, actionable insights for product development decisions. Highlight provides advanced analytics and user-friendly reporting that help you identify patterns in sensory preferences across different consumer segments. Our platform aggregates feedback on taste, aroma, texture, and visual appeal into comprehensive dashboards that highlight optimization opportunities. You can quickly spot which sensory attributes drive preference and which create barriers to acceptance.
How quickly can Highlight provide actionable insights for product optimization decisions based on a sensory evaluation? A: Speed matters when you're racing to market or need rapid iteration cycles for product refinement. 

Highlight delivers complete sensory evaluation insights in approximately 3 weeks from recruitment to final report, while traditional testing methods often require months. 

This acceleration comes from our established community of pre-screened participants and efficient in-home testing protocols. You receive detailed sensory data on taste, smell, texture, and overall product experience without the lengthy facility scheduling and logistics of traditional sensory labs. Fast turnaround means you can make informed optimization decisions quickly, keeping your product development timeline on track.
What measures do you take to ensure the sensory testing data is accurate and reliable? A: Quality control in sensory testing requires multiple verification layers to filter out unreliable participants and responses. Highlight employs several screening mechanisms:
  • Red herring questions to identify participants who don't read carefully
  • Additional demographic and psychographic verification for many studies
  • Continuous monitoring of response quality and engagement levels
  • Strict community acceptance criteria that approve only 48% of applicants
  • This results in only 1-2% junk data compared to the industry average of 30%, ensuring your sensory evaluation decisions rest on solid foundations.
How effective is Highlight for cross-category product development and innovation? A: Highlight's diverse industry experience spans food and beverage, personal care, pet products, and home goods, providing insights into sensory preferences across categories. Our community includes consumers familiar with evaluating varied product types, from taste testing beverages to assessing skincare texture. The platform's flexible methodology adapts sensory evaluation protocols to different product categories while maintaining consistent quality standards. 

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