What Are Focus Groups? A Quick Guide

What Are Focus Groups? A Quick Guide

Businesses thrive on the feedback of their customers. Their input is vital to determine the success of products and services and give new releases the best chances in the market.

Focus groups are some of the most common methods for gaining customer insights.

Whilst next-gen research is trying to move on from this strategy with more innovative approaches; there is still a lot of good to be gained from these strategies. But to understand whether a focus group is the right step for your brand, you first need to grasp what this strategy entails.

What are Focus Groups?

Focus groups consist of a specifically selected group of people that are brought together for data collection. The group interaction reveals consumer insights - participants discuss a given topic so that researchers can analyse what reactions and impressions come to light. Thanks to the in-person nature of focus groups and the real-time interactions.

Focus groups are most commonly utilised to prepare for a new product launch. It is most helpful in the early stages of concept development. A new idea for a service or product is tested before it is put out to market. The group can highlight issues with the current concept and help understand what solutions will be needed before the product succeeds.

What Should a Focus Group Discuss?

The discussion during a focus group is not entirely unstructured. Instead, researchers will; provide a set of questions to spark the conversation.

There are three common categories of questions that help in this process: Engagement Questions: At the beginning of the session, these questions help participants ease and get comfortable with the group. They act as icebreakers. Exploration Questions: Once the conversation has started rolling, exploration questions start the actual discussion. These questions will be the central part of the focus group questions and specifically explore topics the researchers are interested in. Exit Questions: Exit questions allow participants to fill in any information they haven’t had a chance to say before the session concludes.

Common Types of Focus Groups Not all focus groups are created alike. Depending on your brand’s purpose, you can set up discussions in a variety of ways:  Single focus group. The most common type of focus group! Here, a small group organically discusses a topic. A single moderator asks the questions.  Two-way focus group. In this setup, there are two groups. One to discuss the topic and one to observe them - each group is moderated by a researcher.  Dual Moderator: Two moderators collaborate. One asks the questions, and the other ensures that they are answered in-depth. Two moderators can help keep the discussion on track.  Duelling moderator focus group: As the name suggests, in this model, two moderators debate against each other to explore two sides of an issue.  Mini Focus group: Consisting of only four or five participants, a mini focus group allows for discussing more sensitive topics in an intimate setting.  Remote focus group: Remote focus groups can be conducted using an online format, like a teleconference. They are often not as informative as face-to-face group discussions.

Still, they can allow participants from different parts of the world to discuss.

Are Focus Groups Right for Your Brand?

Focus groups are excellent for getting a wealth of information from a small group of customers. With the right questions and moderation, they provide qualitative answers and insights into consumer sentiments. They are often an excellent way to get honest opinions.

However, focus group results can be biased, and sensitive topics are harder to discuss.

Because they only collect data from a small sample of your target audience, focus groups should also not be your only method of research.

By working with a next-gen research company like This is Selfhood, you can ensure a holistic approach to getting consumer insights for your next launch. So get in touch with us today to benefit from our network of young consumers ready to voice their opinions.

Address:- Soho Works, 2, Television Centre, 101 Wood Lane,

London, UK - W12 7FR Landline number:- 020 3195 5250 Email id:- hello@thisisselfhood.com Website:- https://www.thisisselfhood.com/

https://www.instagram.com/selfhoodcollective/