In-Person vs. Virtual Focus Groups – Which, When?
At Open Mind Strategy, we embrace the evolution of market research, including leaning into remote research for qualitative projects. But sometimes in-person is best. Based on lots of experience, this guide can help you choose when to do what.
In-Person Focus Groups: The Power of Presence
Depth: Nothing matches the depth of conversation that face-to-face interactions foster. Participants are particularly likely to connect and stay engaged, and are more responsive to moderator body language and encouragements to share more.
Observational Nuances: Body language can speak volumes! In-person groups let you catch every gesture and expression. These subtleties can reveal unspoken truths that can be probed for more learning.
Environment: We love our facility partners. Our carefully chosen venues keep distractions at bay, ensuring that every session is as productive as possible.
When to insist on In-Person Research:
• When you really want the face-to-face experience
• When it’s a much-needed chance to get your team and/or clients gathered in a backroom to witness the learning together
• When your audience is local – and you have a great local facility
Virtual Focus Groups: The Home Team Advantage
Geographical Diversity: Why limit your team to understanding audiences from a few markets? With Virtual Groups, geographical boundaries disappear, bringing diverse perspectives right to the virtual table – including rural consumers and customers and those in cities not well-served by focus group facilities.
Cost Efficiency: Less overhead means your budget can stretch further, allocating more to what really matters — deeper insights, driven by listening to more people. And – a note on boosting affordability: though bespoke virtual focus group platforms are sometimes a good choice, offering specific kinds of tools, often Zoom webinar is best (because respondents are likely to be comfortable with Zoom, and there’s more room on screen for people’s faces – plus it’s a lower cost option).
Meeting People Where They Are: Respondents in their homes, offices, or on the go can connect from the places that are meaningful to them. For many categories of inquiry, being able to see our participants’ actual world – whether shopping, tasting wine, or talking about their media “set up” – is a way to go deeper.
When to go for Virtual Focus Groups or IDIs:
• When you want a sample that’s representative of a larger region or the nation
• When you’d rather put dollars into more respondents than in into the in-person experience
• When meeting your audience where they live or work can lead to deeper insights
We hope this helps you make the choice – the personal presence of in-person sessions or the “home advantage” of virtual ones, both methodologies have key benefits!
Would love to hear your experiences, and if you agree!