What we're learning, from the field.
Essays from our research team and findings from the longitudinal studies we run. Real-world evidence, sharpened into something useful.
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A great product can still flop — and the data shows why.
When a brand we worked with launched a product with strong efficacy data, sales underperformed. The real-world evidence revealed the issue wasn't the formulation. It was the name.
Read the essayAll insights
Why the other 48% didn't buy — what the open-text actually said.
We pulled 954 open-text comments from people who said "no" or "maybe." Four patterns emerged in order of how actionable they are for an operator: dose, taste, format, price.
Study Finding98.8% of consumers want more than a buzz from infused beverages.
Stress relief (81.8%), improved mood (71.3%), better sleep (66.2%), pain relief (50.8%). The category is marketing one thing and consumers want another — and the functional positioning is wide open.
Study Finding48.3% of consumption happens in one setting. It's not where you'd guess.
Across 24,021 consumption days plus 2,000 written responses, consumers told us the same thing: infused beverages own the wind-down, alcohol owns the social occasion. The industry hasn't caught up.
Study FindingFaster onset predicts higher purchase intent. Here's the data.
Faster onset was a statistically significant predictor of higher purchase intent, stronger recommendation, and dramatically more positive effects — without increasing negative effects. The biggest competitor isn't a rival brand. It's a consumer who drinks your product and feels nothing.
Study FindingThey didn't sign up for better sleep. They got it anyway.
Only 8.9% of participants joined the study for a sleep benefit. But sleep improved across every measure tracked — hours, quality, ease of falling asleep, and a validated clinical instrument. Sleep wasn't the pitch. It became the outcome.
Study FindingThe product experience that drives repeat — or kills it.
Onset timing, the intoxication reality, and the hidden variable that determines whether infused beverages actually deliver. Consistency of use changes the outcome dramatically.
Study FindingWhat drives purchase in infused beverages — and what doesn't.
Flavor, availability, and nutritional facts lead. Brand barely registers. And the biggest threat to repeat isn't price — it's dose. In this category, the product experience is the brand.
Study FindingInfused beverages and alcohol: what the data actually shows.
A measurable substitution signal, a co-use reality check, and where alcohol still wins by occasion. The opportunity isn't "replace alcohol everywhere" — it's winning specific moments where people want something different.
Study FindingWho's actually drinking infused beverages — and what they're using them for.
Demographics, occasion, and motivation across 2,580 enrollees. The dominant use case is end-of-day, at-home stress relief — not bars, not nightlife. Predominantly women, mid-career, full-time employed.
Study FindingWhat 8,100+ research participants told us about taking part in a study.
Aggregated post-study ratings across 50+ MoreBetter product studies (2023–2026). Useful context for any brand considering a longitudinal study.
EssayThe different types of research a brand can actually run.
Not every product question calls for a clinical trial. A practical guide to the four research approaches we use most — what each one is good for, what it costs, what it doesn't answer.
EssayHow we measure onset and duration without a clinical setting.
Self-report data has well-known weaknesses. Here's the methodology we use to make timing data trustworthy at scale — and the tradeoffs we accept to do it.
EssayFive wellness categories where real-world evidence pays for itself fast.
Cold plunges, women's health, mushrooms, probiotics, sexual wellness. The categories where consumer skepticism is high and clinical evidence is thin — the gap RWE was built for.
EssayWhy consumers are voting for evidence with their wallets.
The shift from influencer-driven discovery to evidence-driven trust isn't slowing. What it means for brands that don't have data yet, and the brands that do.