Focus Group

We are talking Qualitative Marketing Research techniques. We are talking here different types of qualitative research. We talked about Depth Interview in our last post. Today we are going to talk about Focus Groups.

A focus group is a form of qualitative research in which a group of people is asked about their attitude towards a product, service, concept, advertisement, idea, or packaging. Questions are asked in an interactive group setting where participants are free to talk with other group members.Ernest Dichter originated the idea of having a "group therapy" for products and this process is what became known as a focus group.

• an interactive group discussion lead by a moderator
• unstructured (or loosely structured) discussion where the moderator encourages the free flow of ideas
• usually 8 to 12 members in the group who fit the profile of the target group or consumer
• usually last for 1 to 2 hours
• usually recorded on video
• the room usually has a large window with one-way glass - participants cannot see out, but the researchers can see in
• inexpensive and fast
• can use computer and internet technology for on-line focus groups
• respondents feel a group pressure to conform
• group dynamics is useful in developing new streams of thought and covering an issue thoroughly

Focus Group can have above mention characteristics. We will talk about Projective Techniques in our next post.

ref: wikipedia , agents website design , insurance software

Qualitative marketing research -1

Qualitative marketing research is a set of research techniques, used in marketing and the social sciences, in which data is obtained from a relatively small group of respondents and not analyzed with statistical techniques. This differentiates it from quantitative research in which a large group of respondents provide data that are statistically analyzed.

The role of qualitative research
Qualitative research methods are used primarily as the prelude to quantitative research. They are used to define the problem, generate hypotheses, identify determinants, and develop quantitative research designs. Because of the low number of respondents involved, these exploratory research methods cannot be used to generalize to the whole population. They are however, very valuable for exploring an issue and are used by almost all researchers. They can be better than quantitative research at probing below the surface for affective drives and subconscious motivations.

Approaches
Most qualitative methods use a direct approach : they clearly disclose the purpose of the study and the organization that commissioned it. Questions are direct and to the point. Many other qualitative techniques use an indirect approach. The true intent of the research is disguised, either by claiming a false purpose or by omitting any reference to the study’s purpose. Some researchers have ethical misgivings about the deceit involved in this approach. Those researchers that use this approach feel that it provides the more honest and accurate responses. If disguised methods are used, all respondents should, on completion, attend a debriefing session in which the true purpose of the research is given and the reason for the deception explained.

we will talk about The main types of qualitative research in our next post.

ref: wikipedia, insurance software, agentswebworld