conducting an advertising, sales promotion, or other promotion test in a limited geographical area (i.e., a select number of representative markets), and measuring results; or placing a new product into a similarly limited geographical area, and measuring performance to determine the likely success in the larger scale or national market – all under a proposed marketing plan, including the marketing communications portion of that plan; testing a product's and a marketing program's performance in a small-scale reproduction of the large scale market. Can be used to help develop a sales forecast, especially for new products or an established product entering a new territory or one using a new distribution channel. Also is the seventh stage of the new-product development process. Often called a sales area test. See new-product development process, idea generation, idea screening, concept testing, market evaluation, product development, marketing plan, and commercialization.

the introduction of a new product in selected test cities that represent a typical market, so that results of the performance in these markets can be projected on a national basis.

Testing a new product or service within a specific region before national launch.

A type of marketing research that occurs when a new product is placed in one or more selected geographic areas to gauge customer response.

The limited introduction of a product in geographic areas chosen to represent the intended market. p. 302