Focus groups

A focused group interview combines qualitative and quantitative approaches: it allows you to reveal the deep reasons and motives of consumers, while giving them a conditional quantitative assessment. Due to the organization of group dynamics in the focus group, opinions are "squeezed out" from the participants, which each consumer is unable to formulate individually.

The method consists in the fact that researchers gather strangers (representatives of the target audience) to discuss the research topic. Focus groups are often supplemented with tasting, testing or watching videos. 

Also, focus groups can be conducted with familiar people, for example with company employees, industry specialists, etc.

Ways of conducting focus groups

  • Offline, in a specially equipped room.
  • Online using any software for video conferences (Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, etc.).

Tasks solved by the focus group

  • Study of respondents' perception of the research subject.
  • Obtaining an up-to-date range of opinions and ratings.
  • Generating ideas, "brainstorming".
  • Determination of the main set of practices and situations of use of the research product.
  • Identification of consumer motivation, lifestyle, habits and behavioral patterns.
  • Testing, tasting and evaluation of products.
  • Testing ideas, advertising, design (including identifying how advertising can be misunderstood).
  • Testing scripts, commercials, feature films.

Number of focus groups

Research using the focus group method should sufficiently represent the researched audience, but at the same time, each group should be homogeneous in terms of all characteristics relevant to the study (age, gender, consumption practices, social status, etc.).

Type of research Characteristic Number of foсus groups
Intelligence

Allows to identify and describe the main trends

1-2

Simple targeted

Determines patterns of behavior of a homogeneous audience

3-5

Coplex targeted

Determines patterns of behavior of heterogeneous audiences

6 and more