The massive shift in global dynamics brought on by COVID-19 has affected life across the board. For businesses and organizations looking to gain insight into their target market, face-to-face focus groups are the less preferred focus group alternative. Online focus groups offer an alternative to traditional market research by collecting data from participants in discussions hosted on digital platforms under a moderator’s guidance.
Benefits of Online Focus Groups
Decision Point Research is at the forefront of conducting online focus groups for qualitative and quantitative market research projects. We can moderate online focus groups in several languages, including English, Punjabi, Hindi, Cantonese, Mandarin, Spanish, French, Korean, and Arabic. We run them on our client’s behalf through live or recorded sessions with a moderator, respondents, and observers.
There are multiple focus group advantages when conducting them online with Decision Point Research.
Flexibility for Respondents
Respondents can access discussions from their home or any other location where they might feel comfortable. Respondents also provide more reliable data as they share their thoughts and opinions more openly in familiar surroundings.
Flexibility for Moderators
There are fewer last-minute dropouts since respondents are not required to travel to a specific location for the focus group. The number of respondents can also be increased with ease, as there are no limitations because of physical space.
Client Benefits
One of the main advantages that online focus groups hold for clients is that they are cost-effective and do not require facility rentals, parking costs, catering, or other additional costs. Recordings of sessions are immediately available after a session ends for the client to analyze. Clients can also listen anonymously during the sessions without interrupting the group.
Decision Point Research can host group sessions on several video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Teams, WebEx, iTracks, and more. Our technical staff is trained to perform checks ahead of the sessions and are available on standby to provide support during the sessions, if required.
Recruiting
There are no geographical limitations in online focus groups, making recruiting participants from difficult-to-reach locations more straightforward. Decision Point Research chooses online focus group participants from our robust general population databases, including a significant multicultural panel and many other difficult-to-reach populations such as business owners, C-level executives, industry experts, and more.
Our database members are well versed and experienced with online groups. They have the minimum required technical specifications demanded by digital platforms (high-speed internet, PC/laptop with mic and webcam, etc.), thus ensuring smooth onboarding and fewer disruptions during sessions. Decision Point offers a quick turnaround on recruiting and hosting online groups and can accommodate clients’ tight timeline requirements.
Case Study: Online Focus Group Discussion with High School Students and Parents
Online focus groups are simple to manage and can provide immediate and reliable insights for clients. Contact us today to learn more about hosting your online focus group.