Virtual test market: Efficient with new Studio@Home solution

Virtual test market of Bonsai, example sparkling wine

- Innovative research platform from Bonsai and HGT combines the virtual test market with a new Studio@Home solution.

- The smart offer combines the premium quality of the virtual test market with the more cost-effective Studio@Home survey.

- In addition to its virtual test markets, Bonsai is thus creating a new, efficient tool for product, packaging, shelf and concept testing.

Hamburg / Bremen / Munich, 10.06.2025. Bonsai Research launches the new virtual research platform for category management, product, packaging and concept tests. The highlight: in cooperation with HGT (Herzog, Glaser, Thelen), Bonsai is now combining tests in the studio with the newly developed Studio@Home approach, a solution that is not only innovative, but above all efficient.

The background: classic test markets at the real POS reach their limits when it comes to concepts and products that do not yet exist or of which only a rough concept exists. Virtual test markets, on the other hand, sometimes reach their limits when it comes to costs.

Bonsai and HGT have now developed the hybrid solution for the virtual test market: Studio@Home. The virtual research of Bonsai Research and HGT combines the advantages of hyper-realistic but complex tests with VR glasses and the smart Studio@Home solution.

"The hyper-realistic virtual test environments that we have been offering since taking over the research division of VR Insight six months ago have been very well received," emphasizes Stefan Feldmeier, Member of the Management Board at Bonsai: "However, our customers have told us that they also want a 'lower-threshold', i.e. more cost-effective offering - for product and concept tests, for example. That's exactly what they're getting now."(More on the takeover of VR Insight's research division)

For the Studio@Home survey, the 3D environment is integrated into an online questionnaire and can be carried out anywhere by the Studio-experienced participants of the HGT panel. The virtual environment is displayed using foveated rendering. This means that only the areas of the screen on which the mouse (and therefore the user's focus) is currently located are rendered in high resolution. After a brief introduction, participants can control the system almost as intuitively as with VR glasses - and the result is hardly inferior to eye tracking.

The best of both worlds

In Bonsai 's new hybrid approach, a quarter of the participants will continue to immerse themselves in the virtual reality of a supermarket, pharmacy, petrol station or similar. Three quarters of the participants will take part in Studio@Home. The perfect combination of cost efficiency and quality.

"The Studio@Home data gets an upgrade thanks to the premium results from the test studio," explains HGT Managing Director Frank Herzog: "We can run both approaches in parallel and, with our 15 studio locations throughout Germany and our studio panel lists, we can also make good use of broad target groups."

In addition to the virtual test market, this creates an efficient platform for testing and experimenting with category management, product, packaging and concept tests. As part of a roadshow (see below), we are now working with our customer Rotkäppchen-Mumm to demonstrate the real benefits of Bonsai 's virtual test markets and the new, smart combination offering.

Invitation to the roadshow

We cordially invite you as media representatives to experience live how the combination of virtual test market and Studio@Home works. Our customer Rotkäppchen-Mumm will also be demonstrating the possibilities of the VR offering in a case.

The dates of the Bonsai

Munich - 25.06.2025, 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm
Cologne - 27.6.2025, 10.30 am to 1.30 pm
Hamburg - 30.06.2025 3.30 pm to 6.30 pm
Berlin - 10.09.2025 from 10.30 am to 1.30 pm

Registration for the Bonsai