■ National Semiconductor Based in Santa Clara, California, National Semi-
conductor has used “applets”—simple multimedia applications written in
Java—and parametric search technologies to make its entire product database
available on the Web. With the means to track customer searches, National
Semiconductor can determine the performance metrics that are most impor-
tant to them. Sometimes, says the company’s Web services manager, it’s more
important to know when a customer didn’t find a product than when he did.
That information helps National Semiconductor shrink the time needed to
identify market niches and to develop new products. It’s basically high-qual-
ity market research—for free.^16
Concept testing entails presenting consumers with an elaborated version of the
concept. Here is the elaboration of concept 1 in our milk example:
Our product is a powdered mixture that is added to milk to make an instant
breakfast that gives the person all the needed nutrition along with good taste
and high convenience. The product would be offered in three flavors (chocolate,
vanilla, and strawberry) and would come in individual packets, six to a box, at
$2.49 a box.After receiving this information, consumers respond to the following questions:Question Product Dimension Measured