Worth another look

Editor’s note: Yardena Rand is research director at Sage Research, Inc., Natick, Mass.

Many market research users are skeptical of online qualitative research. Some widely-held suspicions include the following:

  • Artificiality. Many feel the medium is impersonal, that the interaction between the moderator and respondents as well as the respondents amongst themselves is artificial. Without the intimacy fostered in an in-person environment, many feel they can’t get good, in-depth information.
  • No body language. Many believe reading body language is an important part of the research process. After all, posture, gestures or the raise of an eyebrow can all be evidence of resistance or buy-in. Without the ability to see respondents, many feel they miss important nuances.
  • Limited scope of the moderator’s guide. Another belief is that in an online environment moderators can only ask questions, not have respondents complete exercises or participate in interventions. As such, the argument goes, the researcher cannot dig for more valuable underlying information.

But online focus groups are not simply a poor man’s alternative to the traditional in-person format. Certainly, there are research objectives that necessitate in-person focus groups, such as when you want to watch respondents examine and use a new product, for example. But our online focus group clients have been surprised to find their overall suspicions unsubstantiated, particularly with respect to the issue of gathering in-depth information. For several reasons, moderators are often able to dig even deeper in the online environment (assuming respondents are Internet savvy and comfortable using a keyboard).

  • More information from each respondent. With in-person groups, respondents can only speak one-at-a-time, often limiting the amount of information that can be gathered from any one respondent (especially the shy ones). In the online environment, you hear from everyone on all questions because respondents reply to questions simultaneously. You also have the option to send private messages to each respondent, so you can essentially have one-on-one conversations. This allows the researcher to maximize the quality of information gathered, as well as minimize the influence of any one participant.
  • Efficient conversation. By having to type their responses, there is also less of a tendency for respondents to babble; they get right to the point. Using private messaging or probing the group as a whole, the moderator can gather additional information where necessary. Private messaging has the additional advantage of allowing the moderator to question respondents on areas that may be somewhat tangential to the conversation without interrupting the flow of the group overall.
  • Many techniques for gathering information. Online focus groups give you the ability to conduct mini-surveys, with results available immediately. This allows the moderator to ask quick questions for a read on attitudes, purchase plans, etc. to help guide and focus the conversation. Many interventions can also be run — photo sorts, rankings, exercises (e.g., sentence completion, filling in grids). In addition, respondents can evaluate materials via the Web (such as marketing campaigns, new product concepts, feature sets, etc.).
  • The online environment reduces inhibitions. Personalities and opinions come through in the online environment. At first glance, the Internet would seem to be impersonal — how can you foster collegiality when there is no face-to-face contact? But the anonymity actually helps make respondents feel more relaxed and fosters intimacy — and that comes through very clearly. Respondents interact freely with each other and, even though you can’t see their faces or postures, make their opinions known. If they feel passionately about something, you will know.
  • True partnership between client and moderator. The client and moderator are in constant contact throughout the group (both online and over the phone). This assures that client questions are covered and that probes target truly relevant information. Most importantly, information exchange is immediate — no more note-passing or waiting for the last few minutes (when the moderator exits the room to get last-minute questions before letting the group go).

Additional advantages

And yet, the benefits of online focus groups are not limited to the type of information gathered. While maximizing the ability to question in-depth, online focus groups offer additional advantages.

  • Speed. Groups are completed more quickly because no one has to travel. Rather than covering three cities in two weeks, you can do it in one. Transcripts are also available right away — they can be downloaded easily at the end of each group, so no more waiting three to five business days for transcripts. These benefits greatly accelerate the research process. Rather than the six or seven weeks it takes to complete in-person focus group projects, online groups can be completed in four to five weeks.
  • Recruiting flexibility. Because groups are held online, respondents can be drawn from a wide geographic area (e.g., regionally, nationally, globally). This lets researchers cast a wider net for recruiting from hard-to-find populations, and allows for focus groups with geographically dispersed populations.

Time to revisit

If you have dismissed the idea of conducting focus groups online in the past, now is a good time to revisit that decision. Not only have online “room” facilities improved and many moderators honed their online techniques, but given today’s tight economy and travel anxiety, online focus groups allow you to conduct viable qualitative market research while saving money and avoiding travel.