Online focus groups are a newer methodology being utilized in market research. Traditional focus groups have long been a commonly used approach for qualitative research and they might be the most well-known form of market research around. However, times have changed and the industry is forced to reinvent and think of new ways to collect feedback.
Enter online focus groups.
Online focus groups are an interactive discussion board held on a software or website where moderators can interact with participants while they share comments, videos, and pictures about their customer experience (CX).
Benefit 1: Save on Travel Costs
Think about all of those cost savings on travel. Travel costs for the moderator. Travel costs for the analysts and note takers. Travel costs for you as the client to watch the groups live. The travel portion of the qualitative research can prove fun and eventful but it is also a bulk of the cost involved with qualitative market research. With online focus groups, all efforts are centered around logging into online platform or website. No passport necessary.
Benefit 2: Save on Time
Without all of the planes, trains, and automobiles, think about the amount of time you can save using online focus groups. This is time better spent on recruiting strong individuals, prepping a good moderator's guide, and actively conducting research by moderating and viewing the focus groups live online. The whole process is way more efficient.
Benefit 3: Save on Stipends
Without requiring participants to travel to a facility, find directions, park, or take off work, you can lower the reward payout. A $200 reward become $100 or even a $150 reward can become $75. Asking someone to login a few times a day over 3 or 4 days on the online focus group board (from anywhere) is much easier than asking participants to face rush hour traffic to get to a facility by 5:30 p.m.
Benefit 4: Save on Facility Costs
Since the whole conversation between moderator and viewers, and moderators and participants is done online, there is no need for the overhead cost of a facility. It's sometimes hard to replicate person-to-person and face-to-face contact, but if this is not critical for your project or your key customers are scattered throughout the country, online focus groups can save here too.
Benefit 5: Visibility From All
Although you could cram 10 to 12 viewers into a client viewing room of a focus group facility, the room gets tight. The same can be said when trying to fit 30 participants in a room fit for 12. You won't have these issues with online focus groups. The groups tend to be much larger, double or triple the size of a traditional 10 to 12 person group. Most systems allow unlimited or a large number of seats for client viewers as well.
Contact Our Online Focus Group Firm
Drive Research is a market research company in Upstate New York that conducts online focus groups across the country. We work with organizations to design, recruit, and moderate online focus groups sessions with key customers and non-customers.
You can reach our team 1 of 3 ways: (1) Email us at [email protected] (yes, we check this inbox often), (2) Call us at 315-303-2040, or (3) Message us on our website here.