Why Virtual Focus Groups Could Become the Norm Post-COVID-19

COVID-19 has disrupted every aspect of our personal and business lives. As the virus crisis deepens, we are beginning to see practices and processes evolve from short-term fixes to potentially the “new” or “next” normal.

This is particularly evident in the world of consumer research. While online tools for both qualitative and quantitative research have been around for more than a decade, there has been this notion that when it comes to focus groups, the in-person experience is sacrosanct.

Some companies, in particular, have invested hundreds of thousands, if not millions of dollars in creating on-site focus and/or experiential rooms. Others routinely spend similar amounts convening focus groups in cities around the world. In March of 2020, this approach effectively became null and void for the foreseeable future.

And into the void stepped the very same digital tools that had been “pooh-poohed” by researchers for many years. Much like videoconferencing became the new norm in short order, we are seeing a similar adoption within market research for virtual focus groups.

 

Here are 5 ways in which “virtual” focus groups not only are a near-term fix but might (perhaps likely?) become a permanent fixture in the toolbox for market researchers.

 

1. Less expensive

Traditional focus groups are expensive because you not only have to pay recruiting costs, but you have to pay facility costs for each of the groups. Since online focus groups are just that, they are a more budget-friendly option given that facility rental costs disappear. The cost for a virtual focus group is a fraction of the traditional cost, leading to a higher ROI on the research you conduct.

 

2. More features & capabilities

With online focus groups, it’s easier to collect and analyze the data in real-time with features such as live transcription and comment categorization, to name a few. It’s more efficient to highlight in real-time key comments that you want to use for analysis or even to flag points for follow up in the same session. Recording of the session is done automatically as well. Overall, the virtual focus group platform can do more of the heavy lifting, which allows researchers more time to get additional insight.

 

3. No Geographical Boundaries

Because focus groups no longer have to be done at a physical location, researchers can get the perspectives of people in multiple geographies, even multiple cultures simultaneously. It’s now possible to get perspectives from people in Seattle, LA, Miami, Kansas City, Dallas, NY, and Raleigh in the same room at the same time. This dramatically reduces the cost and the Time to Insights (see next bullet).

 

4. Reduces the “Time to Insights”

Every researcher wants their insights as quickly as they can get them. Online focus groups reduce the “Time to Insights” as groups can be set up and recruited more quickly than traditional focus groups. There isn’t all the planning and travel arrangements that need to be taken into consideration with traditional focus groups. Getting an online focus group set up, recruited, and completed in as little as one day is possible with the online focus group technology that exists today.

 

5. Impervious to External Factors

As the entire market research industry has seen with the Coronavirus, external factors have the ability to shut down in-person, qualitative research without warning. When COVID-19 hit, traditional focus groups weren’t possible as a result of lockdown and social distancing mandates, leaving critical research in the lurch.

 

The COVID-19 crisis has upended so many industries, strategies, technologies, and practices, but we should assume that once things are “normal” that we will go back to the way things were. In the case of market research, the crisis forced the adoption of digital technologies that are proving they are not just able to fill some gaps, but rather add new value. We expect them to remain a viable and valuable tool in market researchers’ toolboxes.

 

Photo by Dave Feril on Unsplash