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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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.

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.

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.

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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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)

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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3. 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)

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)

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

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.

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.