market reserach online community versus focus group
DESCRIPTION
I hold this presentation on the GOR in Mannheim.TRANSCRIPT
Dr. Martin Zuber
Market research online community (MROC) versus focus group
GOR122 |Seite | ipi Institute für Produkt-Markt-Forschung | www.ipi.de
1. Company Profile an Research Background
2. Research Questions and Study Design
3. Results
4. Summary and Recommendation for future research
Agenda for GOR12 in Mannheim - 2012-03-07
1. Company Profile and Research Background
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Objective product
testing including
product application in
physical labs
Many competences from one source
Full-Service Market
Research in Germany,
Europe and beyond
Market Research Product Lab
We provide solid information sources for product managers, developers,
marketing managers and consumer organizations
2 competence centers
2 perspectives
1 aim
Foundation1984 as MM-Research
Employees16 Market researchers: Psychologists, social, political and economical scientists
Foundation 1971 as Institut für Produktforschung und Information
Employees18 Product researchers: Engineers, physicists, household scientists
GOR125 |Seite | ipi Institute für Produkt-Markt-Forschung | www.ipi.de
Branches of Business
Kitchen TechnologyPersonal Care
Children’s products
Leisure/Outdoor products
Domestic engineering
ConsumerElectronics
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Focus Group or MROC – qualitative research
2. Research Questions and Study Design
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Research Questions
Which of the two methods is the most effective, concerning two aspects:
1. The amount of information …better stimulate the test persons to reveal as much as possible information?
2. The collection of individual opinions …better stimulate the test persons to reveal individual opinions?
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Literatur Review
1. Regarding the amount of information Lamnek (2005) found
out that online groups reveal more information because
differences between introverted and extroverted personalities
are leveled.
2. Erdogan (2001) suggests that individual opinions should
better provided in online groups as participants are not exposed
to any pressure of conformity. In focus groups people tend to
converge their opinions due to the pressure of conformity of the
attending group.
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Study Design
4 closed MROC groups and 4 focus groups Every group consisted of six participants and one moderator The focus groups discussions took 1 hour
The time for discussions in the online groups was 2 weeksTimeframes based on internal experienceComparability not guaranteed
Issue of discussions: The influence of the value “sustainability” on the purchase intention of consumers
Every group discussion (online and offline) focused on a different industry sector: clothing, cosmetics, food products and hardware for personal hygiene
GOR1211 |Seite | ipi Institute für Produkt-Markt-Forschung | www.ipi.de
Online Focus Group or MROC?
Poynter (2010, 111): “When review online qualitative research many researchers
draw a major distinction between synchronous and asynchronous approaches.[…]
[…]
The first online qualitative technique that arrived on the scene was the
introduction of email groups, which was an asynchronous technique but only
occasionally used. The next was the development of a synchronous technique,
the online focus group. This was followed by the asynchronous bulletin board
group, which in many ways was the forerunner of the online research community
(also known as an MROC).”
3. Results
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Amount of Information - Analysis
MROC Focus group
Order_of_speeking
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Amount of Information - Analysis
Most 1 Most 2 Most 3 Most 4 Most 5 Most 6
1087
806738.333333333333
588.666666666667
345
164.5
782717
667570
449375
Means of the number of spoken or written words per test person
MROCs focus groups
Mean for all spoken words by
the test persons in the focus groups:
593
Means for all written words by
the test persons in the online groups:
622
Lamnek (2005)?
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Amount of Information - Conclusion
In the focus groups the number of spoken words per test persons is quite equal.
Influence of the moderator, who balances the discussion
In the online groups the written words per test person are very different. Lower influence of the
moderator in an online enviroment.
The amount of information is slightly bigger in the online groups, but in general is the outcome similar.
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Individual Opinions - Analysis
1. Common buying behavior2. The importance of sustainability regarding the buying behavior 3. The perceived effort of the manufacturers to incorporate
sustainability4. The credibility of these activities
Used method -> guided interviews -> consisted on the following four parts:
Analysis -> Evaluation of different attitudes and opinions -> to get different pattern of behavior and thought
Second research question -> Comparison of the discoverd diversity of pattern of behaviour and thoughts -> regarding online or offline methods
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Individual Opinions - Conclusion
• No big differences in the diversity of different pattern of behavior and thought regarding the online or offline groups
• Mostly the same outcome regarding online and offline methods
Reason:
The discussed topic is not delicate at all. People do not need to converge their opinions to give socially desirable answers.
Erdogan (2001)?
4. Summary and Recommendation for future research
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Summary - Results
No big differences between the two methods regarding the amount of information and the evaluation of different opinions.
• Online groups are more difficult to balance by the moderator
• The general effort to moderate an online group is bigger than to moderate a focus group
• The benefits of MROC did not show to advantage in this research project
-
Disadvantages of MROC
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Recommendation for future research
To benefit from MROC just work with this method on research projects with the following characteristics:
• Research projects on delicate issues
• National or international projects
• Home Use Tests – Usage Diaries
• Explorative questions without guided interviews
ipi Institute fürProdukt-Markt-Forschung Neckarstraße 155 D-70190 Stuttgart Germany
Tel. +49 711 931815-217Fax +49 711 931815-199
Project MangerDr. Martin Zuber | [email protected]
Thank you for your kind attention!