Businesses Enhance Product Development by Leveraging Insights at K-State Olathe’s Sensory and Consumer Research Center

K-State Olathe’s Sensory and Consumer Research Center offers both quantitative and qualitative research, including consumer acceptance and preference testing, difference testing, descriptive analysis, focus groups and one-on-one interviews.

Before a new snack hits grocery shelves or a redesigned shampoo lands in hotel bathrooms, companies must answer a simple question: What do real-world consumers think of the product?

In Johnson County, that question gets answered at Kansas State University Olathe’s Sensory and Consumer Research Center, where companies can research and test products with consumers from across the region. For nearly 40 years, the university’s Manhattan research center served as a bridge between industry and consumers. Through JCERT funding, the program expanded its fee-for-service and applied research into the Kansas City metro area more than 10 years ago. Today, the Sensory and Consumer Research Center at K-State Olathe creates value for these distinct groups:

• Industry partners can access comprehensive, regional-based research resources that can benchmark, refine or help launch products with real consumer data behind them.
• Students pursuing K-State’s sensory science graduate program gain an industry-relevant degree that blends science, psychology and business, working alongside faculty to conduct the very studies that shape products.
• Community members earn money by sharing their opinions on consumer products.

Companies gain valuable insights from target consumers
Unlike many university research labs that rely on student volunteers, the Sensory and Consumer Research Center draws from a database of more than 9,000 consumers in the Kansas City area. That distinction matters. Local and regional companies get feedback from the same shoppers, parents, pet owners and travelers who make up their target customer base.

The center offers both quantitative and qualitative research, including consumer acceptance and preference testing, difference testing, descriptive analysis, focus groups and one-on-one interviews. The center’s domestic and international capabilities span industry categories, including food and beverage, pet food, personal care products, aromas and scents and specialty goods.

For example, the center recently partnered with a national chocolate company to support development of a revised sugar-free milk chocolate peanut butter cup. Through a series of studies, consumer feedback guided the chocolate formulation, peanut butter flavor and filling amount before the final product was benchmarked against leading competitors. This iterative, consumer-driven approach provided objective sensory and acceptance data throughout development, helping guide product decisions and increase confidence in the final product.

Specialized research spaces offer many consumer-testing options
K-State Olathe’s consumer testing spaces include multipurpose rooms, focus group rooms with video cameras for real-time viewing, theater-style rooms for reviewing audiovisual material, a demonstration kitchen and an industry kitchen for food preparation and handling research. The setup allows the center’s professional team and graduate students to manage everything from small, qualitative sessions to large-scale consumer studies under one roof.

“Our students’ and staff’s research is directly impacted by our community,” said Martin Talavera, director of the Sensory and Consumer Research Center. “The feedback we get from consumers pushes what gets put on consumer shelves. Everyone has a voice this way.”

Research that boosts economic development beyond Johnson County
The center’s applied research has appeared in peer-reviewed journals on topics ranging from plant-based meat alternatives and pea protein texturization to pet food palatability, hotel shampoo preferences, novel food ingredients and many other product categories, as well as sensory methods research. That body of work reflects the center’s dual mission: supporting confidential industry projects while contributing publicly to the broader science of how consumers taste, touch, smell and evaluate products they’ll use.

As a JCERT partner, K-State Olathe continues to strengthen the connection between regional talent, applied research and the businesses that call Johnson County home. The Sensory and Consumer Research Center is a clear example of that mission in action, turning consumer opinions into valuable insights that help companies launch successful products.

Learn more about the Sensory and Consumer Research Center, sign up to participate in a study or explore industry testing services.