A Toilet Cleaner Fragrance Testing Study Using Central Location Test in Shanghai

Client

A Global Manufacturer of Household Cleaning Products

Service

Consumer insights

Sector

Home Care / Consumer Goods

Coverage

Shanghai, China

A global manufacturer of household cleaning products partnered with us to conduct a toilet cleaner fragrance testing using central location test in Shanghai, aimed at evaluating whether any of three toilet bowl cleaner variants produced a harsh smell during real-use conditions. The study was designed to generate precise feedback through fragrance testing research and cleaning product testing, while maintaining a balance between controlled evaluation and natural cleaning behavior.

The research focused on recent users and past 6 months purchasers of liquid or gel toilet cleaner in a squeeze bottle, ensuring feedback came from consumers with direct category familiarity. Built as a B2C central location test, the project used a structured sequential monadic design so each product could be experienced independently, enabling more reliable product feedback analysis and clearer comparison across variants.

The Challenge

The client wanted to evaluate whether any of the three toilet cleaner variants created a harsh-smell perception and how consistently that issue appeared among qualified category users, making scent evaluation research and a focused consumer insights study critical to the evaluation.

The study also needed to balance real-world accuracy with control. Product use had to reflect actual behavior, while the testing environment needed to be standardized closely enough to allow reliable comparison across variants, particularly in the context of consumer behavior home care.

The client sought clarity on:

• Whether any of the three toilet bowl cleaner scents produced a harsh smell.

• How recent category users reacted to each variant during actual use.

• Differences in scent perception when products were experienced one at a time.

• What structured in-use feedback could reveal about product refinement needs.

What We Did

We designed a 1-day central location usage test in Shanghai as part of a structured central location test approach, combining controlled evaluation with realistic product use to capture reliable product testing insights.

• Recruited 100 qualified users and recent purchasers of liquid or gel toilet cleaner in a squeeze bottle.

• Invited respondents to a hotel-based test environment configured for realistic product use.

• Assigned 3 separate rooms to 3 different product variants, each marked with a product code.

• Used a sequential monadic design so participants evaluated one product at a time.

• Guided respondents through the process using tablet-based instructions and survey questions.

• Asked participants to enter each assigned room, use the product, clean and flush the toilet as they normally would at home, and then complete the evaluation.

• Rotated respondents through all three rooms to test each product under structured conditions, enabling stronger product feedback analysis.

• Captured all feedback through the client’s proprietary evaluation platform during a 30-minute session.

This design created a disciplined testing environment while preserving the realism needed for meaningful scent evaluation, supporting a robust fragrance testing research framework.

The Impact of the Research

The study gave the client a clear read on how toilet cleaner scent was experienced in actual-use conditions rather than abstract discussion, delivering actionable cleaning product insights. It helped isolate whether harsh smell emerged as a concern, compare reactions across the three variants, and build a stronger evidence base for product decisions.

Key outcomes included:

• Deeper insight into in-use scent response across three cleaner variants.

• Stronger confidence in comparative feedback collected through sequential testing.

• Actionable direction for identifying and addressing harsh-smell concerns through product feedback analysis.

• A more realistic consumer perspective on fragrance experience during toilet cleaning.

By turning controlled usage feedback into sharper product understanding, the research helped the client assess scent performance with greater confidence. Contact us to uncover product experience, sensory response, and consumer decision drivers across categories, audiences, and markets worldwide.