28 Oct The Jury’s Out
“Very innovative!” was one expert’s verdict on an entry for our Product of the Year awards 2020. “Lovely smell,” said another panel member gathered for our Jury Day. “Millenials will like this!” announced a third.
It’s pretty safe to say that product – which has to stay under wraps for now – will be one of the high scorers from the Jury Day, and will go through to the next stage of rigorous judging.
It was one of the many edible entries, all of which were poked and prodded, tasted and savoured by our jury made up of more than 30 consumer experts. Their job was to vet the entered products before they go to the next stage of judging, making sure that only those who truly brought something new to the market made it through.
Armed with a pen and clipboard, each member of our jury put more than 20 products through its paces, marking their scoresheets as they touched, tasted, smelled and studied each item, giving the highest points to the products which bring something new and exciting to the supermarket shelves – and ultimately to consumers’ lives. But opinion are not always unanimous – in fact marmite moments abound: Like any democratic process, opinions will differ. Smell, for example, can cause a particular stink – a gorgeous ‘bouquet’ for one person will be a foul fragrance for another. Naturally, with all the entries laid out for judgement, some distinct trends emerged. The ever-innovative household sector proved a strong category, with pet care also well represented. When it came to edible offerings, it became evident how more health-focused the food/products are this year – right on trend!
There was certainly no lack of new and exciting developments, showing that brands are forever evolving to meet the public’s changing needs, and aren’t afraid of surprising us too. It was great to see some of our past winners putting forward their latest innovations, as well as welcoming some fresh brands to Product of the Year.
Now the jury has selected its favourites, it’s time for the next exciting step on the judging journey. At that stage, more than members of the public will give their verdict on all the shortlisted products, answering a series of detailed questions what they think each innovative item brings to the market. Their top scorers in each category will go on to win one of our coveted awards.
Once the Great British public has had its say, we’ll have our winners. All will be revealed at our awards on the 23rd January 2020. We can’t wait!