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WARREN, N.J. — GSK Consumer Healthcare has unveiled state-of-the-art Innovation Labs designed to help the company better meet consumer needs.
The facilities, at the company’s new U.S. headquarters in Warren, N.J., cover a product’s life cycle, spanning research, development, testing, in-store placement and e-commerce. The labs interact to foster collaboration among scientists and the sales team, speeding and optimizing efficiency for decision making for existing and new GSK Consumer Healthcare products.
“The Innovation Labs were built to better understand and underscore the importance of consumer and retailer needs so that we can provide them with the products they want,” said Colin Mackenzie, GSK region head of the Americas. “Consumer insights are the basis of our work within GSK Consumer Health, which is why we are thrilled to introduce this facility, showcasing our leadership in innovation to provide a comprehensive resource to our retail partners and, ultimately, consumers.”
The Innovation Labs comprise the R&D Lab, Consumer Sensory Lab (CSL) and Shopper Science Lab (SSL). The labs offer advances in technology and, collectively, have the power for a robust analysis of consumer and expert insights in real time, according to GSK.
Among the labs’ cutting-edge technologies are eye-tracking devices, facial and skin biometric monitoring systems, and state-of-the-art recording devices. Combined with consumer sensory testing, the technologies produce a layered evaluation of evolving consumer and expert insights that directly affect products, GSK said.
The SSL, the centerpiece of the new home office, is modeled after GSK’s global headquarters lab in the United Kingdom. Described by the company as the most advanced shopper insight facility of its kind in North America, it is designed to enhance retailer relations while boosting overall category growth. Its technology includes one of the world’s largest touchscreens, which syncs with retail sales data and layout design to virtually replicate store layouts and shelving. That allows retailers to reconfigure and test layouts, including end-caps, shelving placement and more with instant analysis of consumer insights.
The CSL generates insights into consumers’ unmet needs. Designed to analyze consumer interaction with current and future products, whether in a home, store, doctor’s office or pharmacy, the lab fosters a better understanding of unbiased consumer preferences, GSK said. It also acts as a space where experts jointly determine which products consumers need and want. The company noted that the CSL’s efficiency boosts new products’ speed to market.
The multifunctional R&D Lab combines flexible space with rapid prototyping and packaging capabilities, bolstering GSK Consumer Healthcare’s innovation pipeline, the company said. The range of technologies and formats in the space promise new and improved products. The lab can take an idea and drive it from concept to prototype for testing against consumer needs or a gap in the company’s pipeline.
The Innovation Labs better harness consumer needs, allowing immediate product modifications on site to meet those needs, GSK added.
