Comparative testing provides with very useful and complete lessons. A great number of examples prove their significance in the news. Footwear is not outdone. Throughout the year, CTC, the leading global resource providing quality assurance for the footwear and leather goods industries, carries out tests for French and European consumer associations, specialized magazines or people responsible for bringing products to market. .

In addition to positioning a product on the market in relation to the competitors’ products or helping the customer make a choice, these tests also provide an objective, trustworthy advice which helps the products to improve and reduces the level of risk when they are launched

Knowing the product better

Products test beds in magazines are very successful columns. They are useful purchase aid and provide quantitative data to help the consumers make the right choice. Upstream, these tests are also powerful benchmarking tools for professionals. Both of these have conflicting aims.

Consumer associations want to be able to provide an exhaustive overview of what is currently available on the market. The tests should enable the end consumer to make their choice. For their part, the managers responsible for placing the product on the market (manufacturers, distributors, etc.) will resort to these tests and comparative tests for several reasons:

1. Positioning the product in comparison with the competition;
2. Supporting a marketing argument;
3. Developing or improving a product according to the results obtained during the test and how well they score;
4. Product diversification into new segments. 

Comparative testing: accurate answers to specific questions

Compression

1. The usage (sports or smart footwear, suitcase or rucksack, etc.);
2. The context (children, adult’s event, leisure, etc.).

The product position chosen will place it using criteria remembered by consumer and suggested by the laboratory. This characterization of the use is a fundamental point in any comparative analysis. The consumer show the elements they want to judge: product’s resistance of life span, biomechanical and hygienic comfort, etc. Based on these expectations, the laboratory will identify the tests which will meet consumer’s expectations.

Identifying the consumer’s need

Veslic

Laboratory testing regarding the resistance of the material, the components or the finished product but also the measurement of its comfort and technically advanced;

Biomechanical testing that allows revealing the sensations perceived during the use of the product objective. They are carried out by experts. This group of experts, together with a product specialist, a biomechanic and a well-informed user provide a further analysis.

Testing the product in situation or by wearing it which means using of the product in real conditions by taking into consideration its specificities. For example, for a smart shoe, the evaluation will concern the well-fitting and the comfort parameters and a testing will be realized by using the shoe. An ergonomics evaluation can also be carried out.

This testing panel allows a real evaluation strategy to be created, by calling on the laboratory’s human skills. Then, a test hierarchy will be proposed. Each function is associated with a test which involves on of these three approaches.

Product positioning

Abrasion

The results will be interpreted using the based scores obtained by other products for the same type of purpose.

A result is of no value unless it can be used. Criteria are interdependent: a product needs to correspond to a global answer. This uniformity leads to greater market satisfaction. This is why the search for differentiating elements on the product can join a strategy of high-range or technical product development.

Comparative study – Non exhaustive list of products analyzed by CTC

1. Shoe: training, trekking, tennis, ski, football, kids, smart, comfort, senior, orthotics
2. Rucksacks: trekking/mountain, school bags
3. Luggage
4. Sports equipment: balls (soccer, rugby, basket, volley, etc.), shin protection, goalkeeper gloves
5. Roller
6. Cleaning products: leather waterproof, leather cleaning products
7. Textile: tents, garment.

More informations about CTC

(4/8/2008)