Do
you need in-depth insight from high-level executives, IT managers,
or globally dispersed customers or prospects?
Consider
an online focus group for your next market research project.
Due
to their ease of participation and time flexibility, online focus
groups provide a practical, innovative alternative to traditional
face-to-face groups for difficult-to reach research targets. Recent
technology avoids the inconvenience of "chat" groups,
offering a forum for extended, structured dialog among participants
over a period of several days. The multi-day forum allows ideas
to germinate and evolve as participants respond to each other at
their convenience over time.
|
Online
Executive Focus Group Yields Product Insight;
Participants
Ask to Do It Again!
A
large technology company wanted user feedback on a storage
device that sold for over $200,000 per unit. The IT executives
they wanted to hear from were scattered across the US and
abroad.
The
company ruled out individual telephone interviews because
they knew that the interaction among these executives would
draw out ideas not previously considered. Face-to-face focus
groups were simply impractical. They agreed to conduct online
focus groups, and were delighted with what they learned.
Afterwards,
several participants asked if the group would be repeated.
They had enjoyed interacting (anonymously) with their professional
peers on a topic of great importance to them. [Request
information] |
Where
they are appropriate, and when participants are properly recruited
and the discussion skillfully moderated, findings from online groups
are comparable to those from face-to-face groups. Most participants
like the medium, including many who would not participate face-to-face.
Online groups are especially relevant in high-tech industries.
Some
effective online focus group applications include:
-
Customer and employee satisfaction issues
-
New
product development and evaluation
-
Product/company
naming and positioning
-
Website
and software usability testing
- Advertising,
branding and other marketing communications testing
Online
focus groups are not always a good replacement for conference-style
groups. Some forms of product testing and other evaluations benefit
from real-time participation and observation.
We
would be glad to assist you in evaluating whether your focus group
research would benefit from online participation.
Call
408-245-5411 to discuss your requirements, or send
email. Briefly describe your project and let us know how
and when to contact you. Or complete our contact
information form. |
