Focus Groups and Their Role in Marketing Research

Business organizations make use of market research in order to determine and understand the changes in the market, environment, and consumer thoughts and behavior. Qualitative research is a method used in market research that investigates on how things become what they are and why things are as they are. It does not look into quantifiable information; to put simply, it probes on the quality, not the quantity.

Focus groups (FG) are a technique used in qualitative market research. They are a good alternative for depth interviews. FG are composed of a group of individuals who are asked about their thoughts, attitudes, opinions, and viewpoints towards a particular product, service, establishment, advertisement, packaging, or any other business-related concepts. The technique works in a way that the members of the group can freely talk and discuss with one another.

Marketers believe that focus groups as an important tool for gathering feedback on new products or business topics because these groups help companies who want to develop a package, a brand name or a service by providing invaluable information and feedback. They are also the ones who give insights on a product that is yet to be launched or reintroduced. Businesses know that a test market is always necessary to realize whether consumers will be interested in the product. The members of the focus group talk about the good and bad side of things so that they can be addressed accordingly.

There are several types of focus groups. Business organizations can choose which among these types is most appropriate for their needs.

- A regular group consists of 6-8 targeted respondents; it is composed of the people who have the most knowledge and experience on the particular issue. This group is led by a moderator who asks questions and invites the respondents to create a discussion.

- The technique can also be two-way. In this variant, another group watches the focus group and gives insights and evaluation on the interactions of the primary group. The conclusion is derived from the observing group.

- A dual-moderator focus group consists of a moderator that ensures the smooth progress of the discussion and another moderator that makes sure all topics are tackled.

- Mini FG works similarly with a regular FG, but they are composed of four to five members rather than six or more.

- Dueling moderator FG involves two moderators that take each side of the issue. This is done in order to delineate concerns from both sides of the coin.

- Teleconference focus groups are done through a telephone network. This is used when the members of the group cannot come into one place to have a discussion.

- Online FGs are used by multi-national companies. Discussions are done with the use of the computer and internet.

Focus groups are an important part of marketing research, but it cannot be denied that there are costs involved in arranging them Any business organization who wishes to make use of such method must stick to the traditional groups to eliminate the high costs of organizing such tool.

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Amanda Tschoepe is the Director of Customer Experience for Focus Pointe Global. She has more than 10 years experience as a customer service expert, focusing on performing surveys, and has spent the past 3 years applying that experience to respondent issues and concerns out of Focus Pointe Global.

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