If you think you might need one or more focused discussion groups conducted, you have come to the right place. Focus groups represent an excellent means of obtaining critical information from your target audience. For each group we typically recruit (invite) ten people to come to a two-hour discussion. Seven to eight of those individuals (the ideal discussion group size) normally show up for the discussion. Although one focus group can be conducted on a particular topic, it is best to conduct multiple groups to gain a more thorough understanding about the issues at hand.

A moderator—a professional who facilitates the session using a discussion guide that has been developed on behalf of the client, leads the discussion. These sessions are always audio taped (and sometimes video taped) for later review. A report on the findings from the focus groups is then prepared for the client.

Focus groups are a qualitative market research tool. That is, because of the small sample size participating in these groups, it would be hard to generalize the focus group results to the universe of individuals that are represented by your target audience. But, the groups do provide valuable insights as ideas/suggestions and feedback are surfaced and probed during these intensive sessions. These data provide a wealth of information that may later be quantified in larger-scale surveys. [see researchoptions.com for a listing of other research methodologies that may be utilized].

Focus groups are conducted for a myriad of reasons including: testing out new product concepts, gauging reaction to new product/service prototypes that have been developed, brain storming about new products/services, gaining initial feedback about advertising/promotional strategies and/or creative, gaining an understanding about the purchasing and pricing dynamics in place for a current or anticipated product offering, etc.