Introduction
We divided our IHP activities into four types, background research, social
research, expert interview, and education&reflection.
The first part is background, we decided to do that to have a basic
understanding of our project and target market.
The second part is social research, we decided to do this in order to know
the public’s attitudes to our future products.
The third part is some expert interviews, we did them to have more
professional knowledge and ideas related to our program and product, besides, making
some
improvements on both the wet team and dry team’s work according to the opinions of those
experts.
The fourth part is education and reflection, we did them to publicize the
ideas we want to show on our program, and from reflections, we can know how to
improve.
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Questionnaire 1
In order to understand the public's attitude towards sugar control and fiber
products, and to gain their preliminary understanding and views on sugar control and
fiber-increasing products, our Sugar Escape team has created this questionnaire.
Among the people in this survey, we first focused on their basic situation.
We received a total of 242 valid questionnaires. In general, the population of this
survey is
relatively large women, teenagers, and middle-aged people. In terms of occupation,
students and
marketing/business/sales personnel and teachers are higher. In terms of health problems,
although
most people are in good health, there are still some people with obesity and digestive
problems,
which need attention.
In order to better understand people's views on sugar control and fibre
enhancement, the degree of understanding and the channels of understanding, we conducted
a survey by
designing three related questions in the questionnaire.
Through further data analysis and statistics, more than half of all survey
respondents have more knowledge about Sugar Control and Fibre Enhancement.
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Among them, more than half of the survey respondents aged between 26 and 50
years old and more than half of the female subject survey respondents believe that sugar
control is
very important for health.
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In terms of knowledge channels, 53.13% of the respondents learnt about sugar
control and fibre through social media, while 48.75% learnt about sugar control and
fibre through
books and articles.This
provides good suggestions for our sales targets and
promotional platforms.
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According to the questionnaire, we can see that there are more people who
seldom buy and occasionally buy, accounting for 30%, 25% never buy, 12% often buy,
people's
willingness to buy health care products is there but not strong.
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We analyze the reasons for purchasing and the reasons for
not purchasing, and find that most of the people buy healthcare products because they
think they can
be beneficial to the body and strengthen the physical health, and the reasons for not
purchasing are
that they think the body is very healthy and do not need health care products and think
that they
are ineffective. According to the data, people are willing to try our team's sugar
control and fiber
products, accounting for 55%.
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We also investigated what people feel needs to be improved in the current
healthcare products. According to the table above it was found that people feel that the product features and
performance of
health products need the most improvement, followed by its guarantee and
quality, then
price positioning and finally the appearance and design of the product. These findings indicate that features and
performance
are crucial considerations when we design our product and develop the business plan
later.
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According to the data, it can be seen that the most attractive to consumers
is that the product is fully functional and powerful, the second point is
cost-effective, and the
third is that the product is simple to use and easy to operate.
In conclusion, from this questionnaire, we generally know the public’s
attitude to the health care products, and then predict the range of our product’s
potential
customers. We also find the points that customers focus on most when they buy the same
type of
product.
We also ask about the most
common way that people get to know one healthcare product, in that case, we can choose
the most
suitable way to promote our product.
Questionnaire 2
The main
purpose of
this survey is to understand
people’s
experience of using products with sugar control and fiber enhancement functions, product
design
requirements, and people’s focus on choosing related products.
We hope to
understand the public's opinions on the product through this questionnaire so that our
sugar-control
and fiber-increasing products can have a clearer market positioning.
Basic information
about the survey population: (1, 2, 9, 11 questions)
Basic
Information:
Among the population of this survey,
we first focused on their basic situation. We received a total of 93 valid
questionnaires, of which
the number of women accounted for more than half of the total number. Among those who
participated
in the questionnaire filling, teenagers and middle-aged people occupied a larger
proportion.
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Access to
information:
The most common channel they use to
obtain information about health products is some self-media
platforms, such as Xiaohongshu, TikTok, etc., with 77
people using this channel to obtain information. Secondly, the second most common
channel to get
product information is friends, 68 people get product information through friends,
accounting for
73%.
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Concerns about the
product:
In the survey on what the public would
worry about when using new products, we found that the most worrying issue for the
public is
whether
there are side effects, accounting
for 91%. More than 69% would worry about the effect
of using the product, and the third
thing people worry about is the
price of the product.
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The public's
experience with sugar-control and fiber-boosting products and their perceptions: (3, 4
questions)
Experience of
taking:
The public's experience of taking
sugar and fiber control products and their opinions: (3,4 questions)
In the survey, we found that about 59%
of the population has had experience with glycemic and fiber control products. 41% have
had no
experience with them.
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Purpose of
use:
35.48% of the participants indicated
that they took related products to lose weight, indicating that weight loss is an
important demand
point in the current market. Nearly half (49.46%) of participants chose this option,
indicating that
health management and disease prevention are also areas of great concern to consumers.
32.26% of
participants chose "other," which may cover individual needs or specific health goals,
such as
boosting immunity, improving intestinal health, and so on.
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Expectations of the
surveyed population for sugar-control and fiber-boosting products: (Questions 5, 6, 7,
8, 10)
Product form
preference:
Capsule
type: 51.61% of participants prefer capsule type
products, which shows consumers' preference for portability and traditional forms of
medicine. Fudge
type: 62.37% of participants chose fudge type, indicating that products in sweet and
snack form have
great appeal in the market. Biscuit type and brew type were relatively low at 21.51
percent and
31.18 percent, respectively.
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Packaging
specifications: One serving/per package: 50.54% of participants
believe this packaging specification is more appropriate, which may reflect consumer
demand for
ready-to-eat and portability. In contrast, the support rate of packaging specifications
for one-day,
weekly and monthly quantities was lower, at 23.66%, 12.9% and 12.9%,
respectively.
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How to
take: Swallow (tablets/capsules) 51.61% of participants
chose this traditional method. Eating (snacks) and drinking (drinks) received a high
support rate of
69.89% and 59.14%, respectively, indicating that consumers are more inclined to
integrate healthy
products into their daily diet or drinks. The injection method was only approved by
4.3%, indicating
that it is not popular with most consumers.
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Pricing
range: 1.100-300/ monthly volume: 46.24% of participants
believe that this price range is reasonable, showing that consumers have high
requirements for cost
performance. The support rate of 50-100/ month volume was also 38.71%, while the support
rate of
300-700/ month volume and 700-1000/ month volume was relatively low, at 13.98% and 1.08%
respectively.
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Ideal additional
services: 81% of the people would like the product to have
the additional service of nutritional counseling, and 76% of the people would like to
have the
service of usage guidance. Public reminders for regular dosage were also desired by more
than half
of the people
Additional
services: Nutrition consultation was the most popular, with
76 people choosing it, accounting for 81.72%. This shows that the vast majority of
consumers value
nutrition advisory services highly when purchasing products, and they want professional
nutrition
advice to better understand and utilize products to achieve health goals. Following
nutritional
counseling, 71 people chose to use guidance, accounting for 76.34%. The results show
that consumers
generally believe that clear and detailed instructions are essential to ensure that
products are
used correctly and safely. 49 people chose public number reminders, accounting for
52.69%,
indicating that more than half of consumers believe that regular reminder services help
them develop
the habit of using products regularly, thereby improving the use effect and satisfaction
of
products. However, only one person chose others, accounting for 1.08%, and no specific
explanation
was given. This indicates that most consumers' needs are already covered in the above
four options,
and there is low demand for additional services that are special or niche.
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Summary and
discovery
Market
demand: Weight
loss and disease prevention/treatment are
the main purposes for consumers to take related products, and the market demand is
strong.
Product
form: Gummy products are widely popular for their sweet
and snack properties, while capsule products are also favored for their portability and
traditional
medicine form. Packaging specifications: Consumers
prefer
ready-to-eat and portable
packaging specifications, such as one serving/per package.
How to
take: Ways to incorporate healthy products into their
daily diet or drinks (such as snack foods and drink drinks) are more popular among
consumers.
Pricing
strategy: Most consumers believe that the price range of
100-300/ month volume is reasonable, showing the pursuit of cost-effectiveness.
Inspiration for our
products
In view of the market demand for
weight loss and disease prevention/treatment, we can position the product as a
comprehensive product
to assist health management and weight management. And we can consider launching capsule
and gummy
products at the same time to meet the preferences of different consumers. At the same
time, more
innovative forms can be explored, such as functional drinks or snacks. For packaging,
priority is
given to the specification of one dose/per package to meet consumers' ready-to-eat and
portable
needs. At the same time, different specifications of packaging options can be provided
to meet the
needs of different use scenarios. We expect that the product price is positioned in the
range of
100-300/ month volume to ensure the cost performance and market competitiveness of the
product. At
the same time, differentiated pricing strategies can be developed according to different
product
forms and packaging specifications.
Voting activity
In
order to understand the change of students' preference for drinks and the status quo of
health
awareness, our team recently organized a voting activity on the "choice tendency of
traditional milk
tea and zero-calorie sugar milk tea" on campus. This poll aims to collect the opinions
of all Grade
10 and Grade 11 students to understand their attitudes towards sugar-related
products.
Voting place: A decorative
panel in a two-story hallway inside the school.
Participants: Students in Grade 10 and Grade 11 were
selected from the
International Department of our school to ensure the comprehensiveness of the voting
results.
Tenth grade voting:
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Eleventh grade voting:
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The results of the 10th grade vote
Main tendency: 10th grade students showed a clear
preference for
traditional milk tea in the vote, and more students chose traditional milk tea than
zero-calorie
sugar milk tea.
Most students believe that the sweetness and taste of
traditional milk tea are more in line with their taste, and that this classic flavor is
difficult to
replace.
Some students may drink traditional milk tea for a long
time, forming a fixed consumption habit.
In campus social occasions, traditional milk tea, as a
common shared drink, has also influenced students' choices.
The results of the 11th grade vote
Choice
distribution: Unlike Grade 10, Grade 11 students have a
more balanced
choice between traditional milk tea and zero-calorie sugar milk tea, both of which have
their
supporters.
Cause analysis:
With the growth of grade, students may pay more
attention to a healthy diet. Some students choose zero-calorie sugar milk tea to reduce
sugar intake
and maintain a healthy body.
The group of 11th grade students is more diverse, both
pursuing traditional taste, but also focusing on health, and the pursuit of fresh
experience, so the
choice is more dispersed.
Some students may choose zero-calorie sugar milk tea
out of curiosity or the psychology of trying new things to explore different
flavors.
Summary
The poll not only revealed the different attitudes’ toward sugar among
students at different grades, but also reflected the diverse needs and preferences
within the
student body. Based on this feedback, the school can flexibly adjust the beverage
service, not only
to retain the classic charm of traditional milk tea, but also to introduce more healthy
and
low-sugar options to meet the growing personalized needs of students, and create a more
healthy and
harmonious campus life environment. In the youth group, everyone still pursues the
sweetness of
classic flavor, but many students begin to pay attention to health and choose to apply
zero calorie
sugar, which coincides with our project. By eating sugar-controlled fiber-enhancing
products, we can
make our bodies healthier while preserving the authentic taste of sugar.
Interview with Lillian Wu
1. Purpose and implementation plan of the
activity
Since our project has just started, we urgently need some professional
personnel in relevant fields to provide some academic guidance and clarification for our
project,
and obtain some more accurate first-hand information.
There are four main purposes of this
interview: (1 Understand the principle of sugar control and fiber
enhancement. (2
Understand the diseases associated with high sugar intake and their applicability. (3 Be
aware of
the possibility of commercialization of subsequent results. (4 Further explore the
product form. We
prepared a total of 13 questions aimed at its purpose and recorded the
interviews.
2. Background introduction of experts
Lillian Wu is a nutritionist of the Hong Kong Nutrition Society, a
registered dietitian of China, a member of the Chinese Nutrition Society, a senior
public
nutritionist of China, and a HACCP certified food manufacturer of the Chartered
Institute of
Environmental Health of the United Kingdom. She is well versed in the functions, intake
methods,
pros and cons of various nutrients.
3. Gains and reflections
In this interview, we asked expert Lillian to learn about our project and
get some advice. Lillian talked in more detail about what "sugar control" and "fiber
gain" are, and
what to look out for in the process. She advised us to pay more attention to short-chain
fatty
acids, and also gave us a deeper understanding of this area. Lillian recommends that we
use
probiotics as our products, but also reminds us of some drawbacks of probiotics, and
that some
improvements can be made in the later stage to get the most out of them. After the
interview, we
also have some positioning for the product development. Lillian suggests that we can
promote our
product through XiaoHongshu, TikTok and other platforms.
This is the first interview of our team. The team members have not fully
mastered the interview skills and language conversion, so we should learn how to be
flexible, so
that they can obtain more concise and useful content from experts.
Sum up
1. Related to sugar control and fiber enhancement: The advantages of this
method are significantly greater than the disadvantages when the dose is well
grasped.
2. Metabolic syndrome related: Most patients have difficulty realizing they
have metabolic syndrome because of the lack of obvious symptoms. The main group with a
high
incidence of metabolic syndrome is more men than women, and more people are over 50
years old. And
the incidence group showed a younger trend.
3. Related to sugar control health care products: less competition and
higher conviction
4. Product related: Additional experiments are needed to verify the safety
of enzyme action in the stomach; If a probiotic is used as the final product output, its
time to
market and possibility need to be considered.
5. Publicity related: For large groups, there are unique advantages. We can
promote our product through XiaoHongshu, TikTok and other platforms in the
future.
For more details about the interview,
please refer to the attached PDF(+ PDF 1)
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User interview
1.
Interviewee's background:
A
potential buyer, aged 26-27 years old, is a teacher in good health condition, who has a
habit of
taking health products.
2.
Purpose and Conduct Planning:
In
order to optimize the design of the product and to further clarify the shape of the
product, There
are 5 main purposes of this interview: 1. to understand the consumers' experience of
taking products
with sugar or fiber-control related functions; 2. for the product design needs; 3.
concerns when
choosing the related products; 4. to understand the users' views on the products; and 5.
to have a
clearer market positioning for our products.
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3.
Summary
Through
this user interview, we learned the real experience of using the product, which we will
consider in
the subsequent product design:
Capsules or chewable tablets would be more user-friendly
Ensure the transparency of information about the effect
The
product is packaged according to the dosage.
Additional services such as regular dosage messages can be
added.
Expanded promotional options
For more
details about the interview,
please refer to the attached PDF(+ PDF 2)
Expert interview with Professor Cen
1.
Purpose of the interview
Advantages
and
disadvantages of the two product forms of capsules and
probiotics;
Capsule
feasibility and potential issues.
2.
Presentation to the experts
Yuke
Cen, Ph.D., associate professor, doctoral supervisor, graduated from the University of
Leuven in
Belgium (Dutch), studied for bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in Belgium from
2007 to the
end of 2016, and participated in postdoctoral research work. In 2010, he was employed at
the P&G
Brussels Research and Development Center (P&G-BIC) and from 2014 to 2016 as a
researcher at the
Flemish Institute of Biology (VIB) in Belgium.
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-
Summay
In
conclusion, although we can not guarantee that there is no risks during the process of
product
developing, some scientific tasks are still necessary to ensure the safety of our
product. We need
to consider all possible drawbacks and try to avoid them.After-sale services are really
necessary.
For more details about the interview,
please refer to the attached PDF(+ PDF 3)
Expert interview with Professor Xie
1. Purpose of the interview
Understand
the
problems and uncertainties that will be encountered in
the sales process
2.
Expert introduction
Dr. Xie
Zhifu, associate researcher and master's supervisor of the Shanghai Pharmaceutical
Research
Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. He graduated from the School of Pharmacy
(Clinical
Pharmacy) of Harbin Medical University in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in science; in
2018, he
graduated from the Shanghai Pharmaceutical Research Institute (pharmacology) of the
Chinese Academy
of Sciences with a doctorate in science. After that, he continued to work in scientific
research at
the Shanghai Pharmaceutical Research Institute, focusing on the steady state of liver
energy and
immune metabolism, and carried out research on the new pathological mechanism of acute
and chronic
liver disease, new target demonstration research and the discovery of new molecular
entities.
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3. Sum
up
In this
interview, we learned some opinions and suggestions on our products from the experts,
and learned
that the current drug products are relatively not superior to sugar control, but we can
consider the
reshaping of the intestinal flora, from The replenishment of products in the market and
the use of
our products as drug aids provide us with new R&D and promotion ideas. At the same
time, we also
learned about diabetes-related drugs and knowledge, as well as the advantages and
disadvantages of
such drugs on the market, so that we can make some improvements in our product
design.
For more details about the interview,
please refer to the attached PDF(+ PDF 4)
Expert interview with William Gao
1.
Purpose of the interviews
a.
Understand the product follow-up marketing methods
b.
Understand the problems and uncertainties encountered in the sales process.
2.
Introduction of experts
William,
senior health
care user, Fudan University MBA, Hong Kong
Alphasights Group China think tank e-commerce consultant, a United Nations organization
China joint
e-commerce consultant, U.S. Economics Challenge Competition (NEC) China English judge,
10 years +
e-commerce practitioner experience, 4 billion + GMV scale of senior e-commerce
division.
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3.
summarize
There
are many areas where improvements still need to be made, and this interview also gave us
some new
ideas, such as the multi-channel approach to marketing, and the experts helped us to
clarify the 4P
model. Differentiate prices according to the different needs of age groups.
For more
information about our
pitch, please
refer to our presentation slides (+Pitch PPT).
4.
Content summary
This
interview focuses on several segments of the 4P model.
Product: At
the beginning of the communication, we made a pitch presentation,
introducing the products we plan to develop and their main functions. From the
perspective of human
health and scientific diet, our products are intended to reduce human sugar absorption
through the
special catalytic properties of dextransucrase and fructosyltransferase, which can
catalyze the
conversion of sucrose substrate into two dietary fiber products, dextran and
fructooligosaccharide.
The double effect of increasing the intake of dietary fiber prebiotics, which plays a
role in
moistening the bowel and regulating the intestinal flora, while the experts also provide
valuable
advice for our products.
Place: About
the channel, the expert gave us a few popular e-commerce plays,
usually BP to B and then to C. Subdivision of to B, usually the first training dealers,
mainly to
the dealers to explain the professionalism of our products, functionality, and
especially the
qualification. Thus better product promotion. The second is channel landing, there are
usually two
kinds of e-commerce, one is shelf e-commerce, such as Tmall and Jingdong. The other is
internal
e-commerce, such as Jittery Voice, and Little Red Book. The combination of these two can
play a role
in both sales and publicity. Experts recommend that we do it on multiple
channels.
Price:
At first we didn't break down the price, it was rather broad. Afterward, experts
suggested that we
categorize the price according to the age group, because different age groups have
different needs
for the products, and naturally the price of raw materials is also different. So the
subsequent
development of more products can be more targeted sales. Can also give consumers a
better consumer
experience.
Promotion: In view of the after-sales service analysis of
sugar-controlled fiber
enhancement products, we put forward two schemes aimed at improving user experience and
user
stickiness through innovative service models. First of all, first is the mini
program/public account
usage guide, through the generation of personalized diet plans and online consultation
services,
personalized customization and health guidance for users, to bring you a better
experience. Then, in
view of social media, we proposed two publicity strategies, namely, short video
promotion on Douyin
and Little Red Book Planting Grass Notes. We promoted the product by making short videos
or pictures
and inviting bloggers to increase the credibility and attractiveness of the product.
Effectively
improve the user experience and user stickiness of sugar control fiber enhancement
products, and
promote the long-term development of the brand.
For more information, you can refer to our business plan
Conclusion
From experts, we get some professional advice to give us some scientific
support, we can think more aspects of the product.
From questionnaires, we get in touch with the latest information about our
potential customers. We get some ideas about how to improve our existing product. This
kind of ideas
may help us to improve the customer’s experience.
Implementation
Who are your proposed end users?
Our capsules are designed for individuals aged 20 to 60, particularly those interested in maintaining fitness and following a low-sugar diet. It can also serve as an auxiliary health product for diabetes management.
How do you envision others using your project?
Users can take our capsules directly. As an added value, we will provide access to professional and informative resources about diabetes management and sugar-controlling health products. Users will also find inspiration through various ideas related to our project.
How would you implement your project in the real world?
We plan to actively promote our products by providing both academic and casual content that educates the public about our offerings. This approach will help raise awareness and encourage informed use of our nutritional supplement.