Door-to-door interviews are a valuable tool for conducting market research. Although less common in today’s digital era, when specific demographics are difficult to reach, market researchers are able to utilize these seemingly “old” methods to collect high-quality data.
Door-to-door interviews allow researchers to reach specific geodemographics, reach hard to reach demographics, provide a personalized approach, and collect high-quality data.
In this blog post, Drive Research, a full-service market research firm, will explore the best uses of door-to-door interviews in market research.
Reach Specific Geodemographics
When trying to understand a specific geodemographic, a door-to-door survey is a great approach. Knocking on randomly selected doors in a specific community should give researchers a strong understanding of what the people who live in that area are like.
It is also a good indication of learning high traffic times of when this audience is home and when they are at work. The more you know about how to reach your target participant, the better!
Recruit Hard to Reach Demographics
When conducting market research, it is important to recognize that not everyone is going to be online. Door-to-door interviews, online surveys, mail surveys, and phone surveys are useful methods market researchers use to collect data. However, sticking to just one of these methods alone ignores specific audiences and could skew your data.
For some, opening their front door and speaking with a friendly interviewer is exactly the approach they need in order to share their opinion. For others, speaking to a door-to-door interviewer might not be ideal, which is why it’s important to offer a variety of approaches to participants.
Speaking with a full-service market research firm can help your team decide what method is best for your specific project requirements and goals. Much like each study is different, so are the objectives and screening criteria for each client. Gaining insight on how best to reach your target audience in the most cost-effective way is a great way to get started in selecting a market research methodology.
Personalized Approach
Typically, older or offline audiences need a more personalized approach to be encouraged to participate in market research. Door-to-door interviews allow respondents to interact face-to-face with their interviewer, providing a more personal experience.
This audience is less likely to be online or have a smartphone, which many research methodologies rely on to recruit participants. Door-to-door interviewing or in-depth interviews over the phone may be a better fit if your organization is hoping to attract participants of an older generation.
Yield High-Quality Data
A well-trained interviewer will be able to guide participants through the questions to ensure they are being properly understood. If the respondent is giving short answers, the interviewer will be able to probe to collect more information.
In addition, participants are more likely to be honest about screening questions such as race, ethnicity, and gender. The interviewer is able to pick up on both verbal and non-verbal cues, as well as emotions or behaviors.
This type of insight is not always accessible with online surveys. While online surveys are able to cast a wider net of respondents, it is not always easy to rely on the data a user is providing.
This is especially true if you are recruiting participants through an online research panel. If conducting an online survey, our full-service market research firm recommends using other methods of recruitment such as social media. More on that, here.
Drive Research is a market research company located in Syracuse, NY. Our team has the knowledge and tools to design a robust market research study, should it be the right fit for your business.
Interested in learning more about our market research services? Reach out through any of the four ways below.
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