Not surprisingly, in the quest to apply new technology to the marketing research industry, someone finally decided to try doing focus groups online. And why not? Nobody needs to travel, you don't have to rent a facility, and participants can be more geographically dispersed.
The disadvantages, as pointed out in a recent Wall Street Journal article, however, appear to outweigh its pluses.
Non-Verbal Cues
One important element of a traditional focus group missing in online is the observation of non-verbal cues. According to the article's author, Erin White, "The inability to watch people sneering, grinning, chuckling is a drawback."
In what could only be termed a sad defense of this line of thinking, one proponent of online groups said in response: "(Yes, but) people can type in all caps or use a smiley face."
Participant Exchange
Another vital component of a traditional focus group lacking in the online approach is the interchange between participants. The twists and turns in the discussion prompted by attendees sharing with each other are often very valuable. As one Sprint researcher explained, "The whole purpose of a focus group is to get some group dynamics going. That's what stimulates thought."
Online vs. Traditional Groups
Concerned about the differences in tackling their first online focus groups, marketers at AltaVista conducted parallel groups in the flesh and on the Web. According to those closest to the project, "Respondents online tended to type only one-word or two-word answers." Concluding that there was little learned from the online approach, officials from the company based their findings exclusively from the traditional groups conducted. Predictably, when the need for qualitative research resurfaced, traditional focus groups were the only consideration.
Final Thoughts
There is little doubt that applications of new technology will lead to better, faster, and cheaper means by which to get consumer input and feedback both quantitatively and qualitatively. In our opinion, for focus groups anyway, it is just not there yet.
At the dawn of this new millennium, where it seems that everything must be swiped, scanned, or wireless, isn't it nice to come to a conclusion that once in a while, as one top AltaVista official put it: "There are some traditional techniques that just can't be replaced."
Q & A Research, Inc. manages and conducts dozens of traditional focus groups annually
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