Q&A - What is qualitative market research?

Qualitative market research is about investigating the features of a market through in-depth research that explores the background and context for decision making. There are two main qualitative methods - depth interviews and focus groups. However qualitative research can also include techniques such as usability testing, brainstorming sessions and “vox pop” surveys.

Depth Interviewing

Depth interviews are the main form of qualitative research in most business markets. Here an interviewer spends time in a one-on-one interview finding out about the customer’s particular circumstances and their individual opinions.

The majority of business depth interviews take place in person, which has the added benefit that the researcher visits the respondent’s place of work and gains a sense of the culture of the business. However, for multi-national studies, telephone depth interviews, or even on-line depth interviews may be more appropriate.

Feedback is through a presentation that draws together findings across a number of depth interviews. In some circumstances, such as segmentation studies, identifying differences between respondents may be as important as the views that customers share.

The main alternative to depth interviews - focus group discussions - are typically too difficult or expensive to arrange with busy executives. However, on-line techniques increasing get over this problem.

Focus Group Discussions

Focus groups are the mainstay of consumer research. Here several customers are brought together to take part in a discussion led by a researcher (or “moderator”). These groups are a good way of exploring a topic in some depth or to encourage creative ideas from participants.

Group discussions are rare in business markets, unless the customers are small businesses. In technology markets where the end user may be a consumer, or part of a team evaluating technology, group discussions can be an effective way of understanding what customers are looking for, particularly at more creative stages of research.