Too often, manufacturing and service enterprises rush to market with only qualitative learning, and / or with minimal quantitative information. And all too often the market results fall short of projections.
Costly surprises such as economic and market changes, competitive innovation or competition, etc. can adversely affect any established or new product and service.
Sometimes, however, it may simply be an issue of "product fatigue" or lack of product life/longevity that wasn't discovered in testing phases.
An extended preference study allowing the consumer to actually take a product home or to work and use it for a while, or allowing consumers to have multiple experiences / touch-points with a service idea, can help businesses to better fine tune or decide to change or scuttle - their new idea.