Focus groups
Focus group discussions involve a small group of 8-12 people to come together and share their views, under the guidance and prompting of the researcher. The sharing can be done either in a central location, or via telephone or the Internet and acts as a ‘brainstorming’ session, generating a wide range of views and reactions. These sessions represent an opportunity for participants to express ideas, or concerns, in an open forum and can help stimulate different ideas and opinions.
Focus group participants tend to be recruited to match set criteria – for example; heavy users of a particular product or loyal customers of a specific brand, or they may have similar characteristics – such as all being students, business professionals, or working mums.
Discussions generally last around an hour and a half, and are audio-taped, and sometimes videotaped for later analysis. The participants are ‘rewarded’ for their participation - generally with a money incentive.
About Warwick Equest
Warwick Equest is a leading supplier of test products to the detergent and allied industries worldwide. We also offer a market research facility providing a full range of quantitative and qualitative research services.