All marketing research falls into two basic categories: secondary and primary. Secondary research involves literature searches, article reviews and analysis of existing, available data. While secondary research is limited to the information you have on hand, it is usually much cheaper than primary research and can be conducted by small businesses themselves.
There are two general types of primary research: qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative research is used for developing new ideas or to get a "gut feeling" for a given subject or problem. Quantitative research primarily involves surveys based on representative samples, where data is collected using mail, telephone or personal interviews. Results from quantitative studies can be projected to entire populations and therefore used in predicting.
Qualitative Research
Nearly all qualitative research is done using focus groups. These groups consist of eight to ten carefully selected and recruited individuals who participate in a directed discussion concerning some issue. The specifications for recruiting these participants are based on the objectives of the study. For example, the owner of a gardening service who is interested in expanding into a new geographic territory might want to explore the demand for these services beforehand by conducting focus groups among homeowners living in the area where the expansion is planned.
The discussion itself is designed and led by a professional researcher called a focus group moderator. The moderator follows a specially prepared script known as a moderator's guide, which is developed with assistance from the client and outlines the issues to be covered. It is important that an independent, professional moderator be used to ensure objectivity, and that all the relevant issues are covered.
Focus groups are often conducted in special facilities that are equipped with one-way mirrors and observation rooms so the client can observe the discussions firsthand without disturbing the participants. The discussions are either audio or videotape recorded so the moderator does not have to take notes. After conducting the groups, the moderator will listen to the tapes, summarize the key points and present the client with a final report on the findings. In most cases, three focus groups are conducted for a single research project. It would be too risky to arrive at any conclusions based on the results of just a single group, since the chances of only one group being representative of the population are quite slim. While two groups are better than one, many times the findings from the second group vary greatly from those of the first. A third group strikes a balance between the first and second and allows the client a better perspective.
While focus groups are a legitimate form of marketing research, they are also the most misused and incorrectly applied of all existing techniques. They should only be used for exploration and generation of new ideas, and should never be considered as representative of the opinions of the entire population. The results from focus groups cannot be projected in any way. On the other hand, focus groups are an excellent method of flushing out key issues regarding a new idea or potential product or service. They can also serve as the first stage of the research process by identifying key points to be addressed in subsequent, quantitative surveys
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Conclusion
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