What Is Claims Testing in Market Research?
Claims testing is a market research method used to evaluate and prioritize different product or brand messages (claims) to identify which resonate most with target consumers.
Those claims might be found in your product packaging, digital advertising, promotions and even PR statements. What makes claims testing an essential tool for any marketer is that it can help you target the right people with the right words. By testing claims, marketers can align messaging with consumer needs and aspirations — at the right moment in the customer journey — leading to stronger attention, higher conversion rates, and more effective marketing spend.
Why Is Claims Testing Important?
Claims testing helps marketers cut through the noise and identify the words, phrases, and benefits that truly drive purchase intent. It also helps de-risk launches by substantiating the exact wording before it goes to market.
1. Identify What Matters Most to Consumers
Imagine you’re launching a new granola bar. Should you highlight that it’s made with natural ingredients, contains 20% more protein, or that it’s available in a new flavor?
By testing different claims against each other, you can uncover which features resonate most with your audience. This will help you not only in your packaging design process, but also help you strategize the marketing messages to lead with when planning promotional initiatives.
2. Focus Your Messaging and Save Resources
Marketers often want to communicate everything about their product: origin, ingredients, benefits, sustainability, and more. But not all claims matter equally to consumers.
Claims testing helps you identify the handful of key messages that drive conversions, saving time, money, and avoiding diluted communications. It quantifies lift, helping you invest behind the claims that truly shift behavior.
3. Build Strong Brand Associations
Claims also shape how consumers perceive your brand long-term. If you want your brand to be associated with health and well-being, for instance, you might prioritize claims that emphasize nutritional benefits. When you create alignment between the claims and your brand, you are likely to create stronger brand equity and perfect your communications for the future.
How to Run Claims Testing in Market Research
A claims testing survey may look differently depending on your goals. But this is what the process roughly looks like:
- Develop a claim list – Brainstorm possible product or brand claims you want to test (you can also use generative AI to do that!)
- Design the study – Use survey-based or behavioral-experiment methods to expose consumers to different claims.
- Evaluate interest and trade-offs – Measure appeal, purchase intent or credibility for each claim. Ask consumers to choose between claims—both their own and competitors’ in-market claims—to see which wins in competitive scenarios (Dig Insights’ innovation testing platform, Upsiide, is the perfect tool for that!)
- Analyze results – Identify the top-performing claims overall and across key segments.
Success Story: How a Pharma Company Used Claims Testing
A multinational pharmaceutical and life sciences company needed to determine which on-pack claims would drive trial of a specific product. Several potential claims were identified, but the challenge was to narrow them down to the one or two with the greatest purchase-driving potential.
The company conducted claims testing as part of a broader initiative exploring the competitive landscape and identifying motivations and barriers to purchase. Using a robust sample of 1,000 current and prospective consumers, the team leveraged MaxDiff analysis to evaluate claim performance. The full project, from initiation to results, was completed in about five weeks.
Surprisingly, the research revealed that the existing claim already in use was the strongest performer. Adding a second claim to packaging did not increase reach or appeal, as confirmed by a TURF analysis. As a result, the brand maintained its current on-pack messaging — saving resources and reinforcing confidence in its communications strategy.
Key Takeaways on Claims Testing
- Claims testing aligns messaging with consumer needs. It identifies which features or benefits matter most.
- It saves resources. Rather than spreading effort across dozens of messages, brands can double down on what drives conversion.
- It strengthens brand equity. Consistently using the right claims creates the right long-term associations.
- Real-world validation matters. Both consumer packaged goods and pharma examples show how testing prevents missteps and confirms winning strategies.
To conclude
Claims testing in market research is a powerful way to ensure your packaging, advertising, and messaging speak to the right consumers with the right words. Whether you’re launching a new product, refreshing packaging, or refining brand communications, claims testing helps you avoid guesswork and build confidence in your messaging decisions.
About the Author
This article was written in collaboration with Svitlana Winters. Svitlana is a Director of Insights at Dig Insights specializing in innovation testing. She works across a range of methodologies — from claims and packaging to flavor testing — helping brands translate consumer insights into confident business decisions. Svitlana is passionate about making research approachable, actionable, and impactful.