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Qualitative Surveys â€" Utilizing Depth Interviews and Focus Groups |
Article Submitted by: karle donald
Sunday, 07 March 2010
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Market research is done in order to understand the discrepancies of the market and to outline the thoughts and behaviors of consumers. There are two ways to conduct market research – quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative research uses quantifiable information – size, amount, volume, or range. Qualitative research gives focus on consumer behavior and decision-making. It is concentrated on the reasons of consumers rather than their statistics.
Surveys are a useful research tool in both quantitative and qualitative methods of market research. They are made use to gather helpful information about the market and its segments. Quantitative surveys employ fixed questions that are to be answered by respondents. They can be completed through the internet, the telephone or through personal contact.
Qualitative surveys are different from quantitative ones because their purpose is not to determine a quantifiable amount; their purpose is to explore on the issues the market has with consumers. Unlike quantitative research, this method does not have predetermined questions; the flow of the study depends on the interviewer and his skills for inquiring and getting into the mind of respondents. A discussion guide is used rather than a questionnaire.
Two main approaches are employed in a qualitative market research – depth interviews and focus groups. Depth interviews are also known as one-on-one interviews while focus groups are also referred to as discussion groups. These two approaches have the same objective, but are conducted differently.
Market researchers perform depth interviews by spending an amount of time asking questions and gathering information from a respondent. It is almost always done face-to-face. Rapport between an interviewer and respondent is always important so that the latter can confidently and honestly reply to inquiries. What an interviewer does is go to the interviewee; the research often takes place in the work environment of the respondent. This has an additional advantage to the research because the interviewer can be familiar with the business culture and environment.
The depth interview necessitates a person to answer based on his perceptions, thoughts and beliefs on a particular issue. While the person answers, the researcher takes note of his words, delivery of words and actions. All of these feedbacks are needed to come up with the conclusion of the research. Depth interviews are one form of qualitative surveys that can be done in person or using the telephone or internet.
A focus group is one more tool used in qualitative surveys. A group is created from a number of individuals who are considered to be the target market. These people can give light to a company by giving out their personal views and opinions on a topic. Many marketers employ the use of focus groups to ensure that the product they will launch in the industry is going to be profitable.
Focus groups are often led by a moderator that asks each member questions to bring about a discussion among themselves. The answers are then recorded and analyzed to draw a conclusion or solution to a pressing problem.
Amanda Tschoepe is the Director of Customer Experience for Focus Pointe Global. She has more than 10 years experience as a customer service expert, focusing on performing surveys, and has spent the past 3 years applying that experience to respondent issues and concerns out of Focus Pointe Global. Article Source: http://www.ArticleBlast.com |
About The Author:
Market research is done in order to understand the invariabilities of the market and to outline the thoughts and behaviors of consumers. There are two ways to conduct market research – quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative research uses quantifiable information – size, amount, volume, or range. Qualitative research gives focus on consumer behavior and decision-making. It is concentrated on the reasons of consumers rather than their statistics.
Market research is done in order to understand the invariabilities of the market and to outline the thoughts and behaviors of consumers. There are two ways to conduct market research – quantitative and qualitative research. Quantitative research uses quantifiable information – size, amount, volume, or range. Qualitative research gives focus on consumer behavior and decision-making. It is concentrated on the reasons of consumers rather than their statistics.
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