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Personal interviewing Definition

Face-to-face questioning of respondents by an interviewer.

Personal interviewing is a face-to-face data collection method in which a trained interviewer asks questions directly to a respondent. It allows for in-depth exploration of attitudes, opinions and behaviors, and can be conducted in homes, offices, public spaces or central locations.

What are key aspects of personal interviewing in marketing research?

• Conducted face-to-face with a respondent.
• Allows for probing and clarification of answers.
• Useful for complex or sensitive topics.
• Can include structured, semi-structured or unstructured formats.
• Often recorded or transcribed for analysis.
• Requires skilled interviewers and higher time investment.

Why is personal interviewing important in market research?

Personal interviewing provides rich, detailed data and helps uncover deep insights that might be missed in surveys. It fosters trust and engagement, improves response quality and is ideal for exploratory research, concept testing and understanding emotional or contextual factors in decision-making.

Who relies on personal interviewing in marketing research?

• Qualitative researchers exploring motivations and attitudes.
• UX teams conducting usability or in-context interviews.
• Brand strategists seeking emotional connections to products.
• Innovation teams testing early-stage concepts.
• Consultants conducting executive interviews.
• Field researchers gathering cultural or local insights.

How do market researchers use personal interviewing?

Market researchers use personal interviewing when they need in-depth, qualitative insights that go beyond surface-level responses. During these one-on-one sessions, interviewers ask open-ended questions, observe body language and adapt follow-up questions in real time to explore attitudes, motivations and experiences. This method is particularly valuable for understanding complex decision-making processes, testing early product concepts or collecting feedback in sensitive categories. The data collected is often analyzed thematically and used to inform strategy, refine messaging or guide the development of more structured quantitative tools.