Qualitative Market Research: Qualitative market research method in market research

Summary

This script delves into the power of qualitative research, illustrating its importance for businesses to understand customer needs and preferences. It discusses various methods such as focus groups, interviews, and observations to gather in-depth insights, enabling companies to refine marketing strategies and product offerings. The script also highlights the evolution of qualitative research with technology, emphasizing its role in shaping consumer-centric business decisions.

Takeaways

• 🔍 Qualitative research helps companies understand customer desires, improve products, refine marketing, and integrate products into customers' lives.
• 📈 This research method benefits businesses of all sizes by uncovering customer feelings, values, and perceptions about products or services.
• 🤔 Qualitative research seeks to understand why people act the way they do using methods like in-depth interviews and group discussions.
• 📊 The goal is to identify the underlying reasons for customer behavior and their values and beliefs.
• ❓ Open-ended questions starting with 'what,' 'how,' and 'why' are used to gather insights before a product or service is launched.
• 🕵️‍♂️ Historical context: Paul Lazarsfeld and Ernest Dichter pioneered methods like focus group interviews and motivational research in the 1940s and 1960s.
• 🌐 The advent of the internet and mobile devices has transformed qualitative research, enabling large-scale surveys and social media analysis.
• 💬 Common qualitative methods include focus groups, individual interviews, observations, in-home videos, and ethnographic research.
• 🎥 Focus groups have shifted from in-person meetings to online discussions using video conferencing tools.
• 📱 Social media analysis provides brands with real-time feedback and insights into customer behavior and preferences.

Q & A

What is the main purpose of qualitative research?

The main purpose of qualitative research is to find out what customers want, come up with ideas for product improvements, clarify the marketing mix, and understand how the product fits into customers' lives.

How can qualitative research benefit businesses of different sizes?

Qualitative research can help businesses of all sizes by providing insights into customer feelings, values, and perceptions about products or services, which can inform marketing and sales strategies.

What methods are commonly used in qualitative research?

Common methods in qualitative research include focus groups, in-depth interviews, observations, in-home videos, lifestyle immersion, ethnographic research, online sentence completion, and word association.

How did qualitative research evolve in the early 20th century?

In the early 20th century, qualitative research evolved with the use of focus group interviews by sociologist Paul Lazarsfeld during WWII and motivational research by psychologist Ernest Dichter, who used Freudian psychology to understand consumer behavior.

How has the internet and mobile devices changed qualitative research?

The internet and mobile devices have enabled larger-scale surveys, hyper-segmentation, hyper-personalization in advertising campaigns, and easier analysis of social media content to understand customer thoughts and behaviors.

What are focus groups, and how are they conducted?

Focus groups are meetings where a moderator leads a discussion among 6 to 10 people about a product. They can be held in person or online, allowing participants to express their feelings and reactions to the product.

How do individual interviews differ from focus groups in qualitative research?

Individual interviews are one-on-one discussions, usually conducted in person, over the phone, or via video conferencing. They allow for more in-depth and flexible conversations compared to focus groups.

What is ethnographic research, and how is it conducted?

Ethnographic research involves observing people in their natural environments to understand their real behaviors and actions. It uses methods like photography, video recordings, notebook studies, and direct observation.

What is the purpose of online sentence completion and word association in qualitative research?

Online sentence completion and word association are projective methods used to understand how people think and feel about a product or brand. Respondents complete unfinished sentences or respond to trigger words, providing insights into their perceptions.

How do companies like McDonald's, Starbucks, and LEGO use qualitative research?

McDonald's uses customer feedback to improve its menu and marketing. Starbucks gathers ideas through social media and feedback platforms. LEGO conducted studies with children and parents to design toys that appeal to both boys and girls.

Outlines

00:00

🔍 Exploring Qualitative Research Methods

This paragraph introduces qualitative research as a tool for businesses to understand customer desires, enhance products, clarify marketing strategies, and determine how products fit into consumers' lives. It emphasizes the importance of open-ended questions and the collection of non-numerical data to uncover the motivations behind consumer behavior. The historical development of qualitative research is traced from the 1940s, highlighting the contributions of figures like Paul Lazarsfeld and Ernest Dichter, and noting the impact of the internet and mobile technology on modern research techniques.

05:03

🗣️ Conducting In-Depth Research Techniques

The second paragraph delves into various qualitative research techniques such as focus groups, individual interviews, observations, in-home videos, lifestyle immersion, and ethnographic research. It discusses the shift from in-person to online focus groups and the use of social media for direct customer feedback. The paragraph also covers the importance of observations in stores to understand consumer behavior and the use of immersive and ethnographic methods to gain insights into customers' lives and preferences.

10:08

📈 Strategic Planning for Qualitative Research

This paragraph outlines the process of setting up a qualitative study, starting with defining clear research goals. It discusses the selection of appropriate research methods based on demographics and target audience characteristics. The paragraph also covers the importance of information gathering through moderators, the combination of qualitative and quantitative research, and the analysis of collected data through qualitative coding. It concludes with the examination of the final report, which should provide actionable insights and suggestions for product improvement based on the research findings.

Keywords

💡Qualitative research

Qualitative research involves exploring and understanding why people act in certain ways, using methods like in-depth interviews and group discussions. It is used to improve products, enhance marketing strategies, and ensure products meet customer needs. For example, businesses can use it to gather detailed feedback on their products or services.

💡Focus groups

Focus groups are moderated discussions with a small group of people about a product or marketing effort. This method helps gather detailed opinions and emotional responses, often providing insights into product improvement and marketing strategies. The script mentions using focus groups to test marketing programs and analyze advertising efforts.

💡In-depth interviews

In-depth interviews are one-on-one conversations with customers to explore their thoughts and feelings about a product. These interviews are flexible and can reveal deep insights into customer motivations and preferences. The script describes them as a free-flowing conversation to understand customer behaviors and preferences.

💡Observations

Observations involve watching how customers interact with products in real settings, like stores or their homes. This method provides a realistic understanding of customer behaviors and can identify issues with product placement and availability. The script explains how observations help see where customers stop in stores and what draws their attention.

💡Ethnographic research

Ethnographic research involves studying people in their natural environments to understand their behaviors and cultures. It uses methods like photography and video recordings to observe real-life actions and interactions. The script mentions ethnography as a way to see what people actually do, not just what they say they do.

💡Lifestyle immersion

Lifestyle immersion means researchers immerse themselves in the lives of customers to observe their natural behaviors and reactions. This method can provide deep insights into customer motivations and preferences in familiar settings. The script describes it as attending events like parties to watch how people interact with family and friends.

💡Social media analysis

Social media analysis involves examining posts, comments, and interactions on platforms like Facebook and Twitter to gather insights about customer opinions and behaviors. It allows brands to engage directly with customers and understand their sentiments. The script highlights using social media to get feedback and understand cultural trends.

💡Word association

Word association is a projective method where respondents are given trigger words and asked to write down the first word or image that comes to mind. This helps researchers understand brand associations and perceptions. The script mentions word association as a method to gather qualitative data and analyze customer thoughts.

💡Sentence completion

Sentence completion involves providing respondents with incomplete sentences to fill in, revealing their thoughts and feelings about a product. This method helps arrange qualitative data and understand customer perceptions. The script describes it as a projective technique to gather insights into how customers view products.

💡Qualitative coding

Qualitative coding is the process of categorizing and interpreting qualitative data to identify themes and trends. This helps researchers make sense of detailed responses and draw meaningful conclusions. The script mentions coding as a step in analyzing collected information and grouping patterns and similarities.

Highlights

Qualitative research helps companies understand customer desires, improve products, and refine marketing strategies.

Qualitative research can reveal why people act the way they do, aiding in marketing and sales planning.

Businesses of all sizes can use qualitative research to understand customer feelings, values, and opinions about products and services.

Qualitative research involves collecting and analyzing non-numerical data through methods like in-depth interviews and group discussions.

The goal of qualitative research is to uncover the real reasons behind consumer behaviors and their values and beliefs.

Open-ended questions in qualitative research help uncover customer thoughts on new products or services before they are launched.

Qualitative research provides insights into customer sentiments about brands and helps identify product strengths and weaknesses.

Paul Lazarsfeld pioneered focus group interviews to study the impact of propaganda during World War II.

Ernest Dichter developed motivational research using Freudian psychology to understand consumer behaviors.

John Howard integrated psychology, anthropology, and economics to study customer behavior in the 1960s.

Modern qualitative research utilizes online tools, video conferencing, and social media analysis for broader data collection.

Popular qualitative methods include focus groups, individual interviews, observations, and ethnographic research.

Focus groups, typically involving 6-10 participants, discuss products and marketing strategies with a moderator.

In-person focus groups are being replaced by online discussions using video conferencing tools.

Social media analysis provides brands with direct insights into customer behaviors, preferences, and feedback.

One-on-one interviews offer flexible, in-depth conversations to understand individual customer experiences.

Observations allow researchers to study customer interactions with products in real-life settings.

In-home videos and lifestyle immersion provide a deeper understanding of how customers use products in their daily lives.

Ethnographic research, rooted in anthropology, involves observing people in their natural environments.

Online sentence completion and word association methods help researchers understand customer perceptions of products and brands.

Effective qualitative research requires clear goals, appropriate methods, and professional moderation.

Combining qualitative and quantitative research provides a comprehensive understanding of customer insights.

Qualitative coding helps categorize and analyze data to identify themes and trends.

Well-known brands like McDonald's, Starbucks, and LEGO use qualitative research to improve products and customer experiences.

McDonald's uses qualitative research to understand customer preferences and improve menu options.

Starbucks leverages social media and customer feedback platforms to refine products and services.

LEGO conducts studies with children and parents to design products that appeal to both boys and girls.

Qualitative research is essential for developing new products, enhancing existing ones, and solving complex marketing challenges.

Transcripts

Qualitative research lets companies find out  what customers want, come up with ideas for how  

to improve the product or add to the product line,  make the marketing mix clearer, and find out how  

the product fits into customers' lives. The study  will help all kinds and sizes of businesses. For  

example, businesses can use qualitative research  to find out how customers feel about the product  

or service, what they value, and what they think  of it. With qualitative research, you can figure  

out why people act the way they do and use that  knowledge to make marketing and sales plans.  

The study can also help you make sure that your  products and services meet the needs of the people  

you want to reach. For example, if you own a 125  restaurant and want to come up with a new menu,  

you can do qualitative research and ask people in  the area what they think about the food, service,  

and prices. This strategy will make it more likely  for you to succeed. How do you define qualitative  

research? Qualitative research tries to figure  out why people act the way they do by using  

methods like in-depth interviews and group talks  to observe and ask questions without a set plan.  

The method involves collecting and analyzing both  main and secondary data that isn't about numbers.  

The goal of qualitative study is to find out  the real reasons why people buy things and what  

their values and beliefs are. In qualitative  research, you ask open-ended questions that  

start with "what," "how," and "why" to find out  what people think about a new product or service  

before it comes out or is made. This way shows how  customers feel about the brand, what buyers want,  

and what the pros and cons of the product or  service are. It also helps you analyze your  

marketing materials and guess how your product  or service will affect your customers' lives.  

In the early 1940s, American sociologist Paul  Lazarsfeld used focus group interviews to study  

how propaganda affected people during World War  II. In the late 1940s, American psychologist and  

marketing expert Ernest Dichter created a new type  of consumer research called motivational research.  

Dichter used Freudian psychological ideas to  figure out why people do the things they do.  

He talked to customers in detail to find  out what they wanted and how they felt about  

certain products. 126 In the 1960s, marketing  professor John Howard started looking at customer  

behavior through the lenses of psychology,  anthropology, and economics. At the same time,  

market analysts paid attention to how people feel  and what they think about things. As a result,  

in-depth conversations, video-recorded focus  groups, and computer-assisted telephone interviews  

became popular ways to do qualitative research.  Since the Internet and mobile devices came along,  

qualitative study has changed in many ways.  Researchers can now do surveys on a much bigger  

scale because of the Internet. Marketers can  use hyper-segmentation and hyper-personalization  

to start targeted advertising campaigns,  use software to analyze market research,  

and find out what customers think by analyzing  social media. Let's look closely at the basic  

ways qualitative study is done. Qualitative means  of research Focus groups, individual interviews,  

observations, in-home videos, lifestyle immersion,  ethnographic research, online sentence completion,  

and word association are some of the most popular  ways to do qualitative research. We'll talk about  

each one in more depth below. Focus groups Focus  groups are meetings where people talk about a  

certain product and how to sell it. Most groups  have between 6 and 10 people and a moderator who  

pushes people to talk about how they feel about  the product. Focus 127 groups are usually held  

in person so that people can say and show how  they feel about a product or advertising effort.  

This method can be used to try marketing programs,  figure out what a product's overall idea is,  

look at the words and pictures in ads, and figure  out how new types of product packaging work.  

Focus groups that meet in person are  becoming less popular these days. Instead,  

researchers are paying a lot of attention to  online talks that use video conferencing tools.  

A look at social media Social media and mobile  gadgets give brands more ways to get information  

and figure out what it means. Customers can  now talk with brands directly on the social  

media sites where they spend their free time.  Content analysis of Facebook posts, comments,  

tweets, YouTube videos, and Instagram pictures  lets brands find out what people are doing,  

where they are, and what words they use  most often. You can ask users for feedback,  

ask them to fill out a short survey, or talk to  customers to let them know about your marketing  

plans and how new goods are coming along.  Also, the people who take part in qualitative  

study can give more information about their  lives, like photos and videos, which helps us  

understand their thoughts and feelings better.  Interviews with each person Most of the time,  

a one-on-one discussion is done in person,  over the phone, or through video conferencing.  

The interviewer asks the customer a number of  questions to find out why he bought the goods  

in the first place. 128 One-on-one talks are like  free-flowing conversations and include questions  

that don't have to be answered in a certain way.  The talks can be flexible, partly planned, or not  

planned at all. You can ask the customer what they  don't like about the product, why they bought it,  

and where they heard about it. Observations  Observations give researchers a chance to see  

how customers react to the goods in the store  and to study how they shop and what they buy.  

This way is better than written surveys because  it gives a better idea of how people feel.  

For example, the researchers can watch  where people stop in front of the store,  

what draws them to the shop window, and which  way they walk inside. Observations also help  

find problems with the way products are placed on  shop shelves, with too much stuff on the shelves,  

or with products that are out of stock. You can  also get feedback from customers to improve some  

parts of the shopping process, such as how the  package looks. In-home movies Researchers can  

see how customers use a product in their own homes  by watching movies taken there. With this method,  

you can watch how users act in a casual and  unforced way. So, you can get a better idea  

of how people are using your goods. Customers can  keep video diaries or make videos with detailed  

comments about your goods. You can put all of  the qualitative material in one place and make  

a hub to help you analyze and use the information  you've collected in the future. 129 Immersion in  

a lifestyle Lifestyle involvement is another way  to get feedback from customers in a comfortable  

setting. Immersion means that the expert is very  involved in the life of a customer. For example,  

the researcher might go to an event, like a party  or family get-together, and watch how the person  

acts and reacts in a familiar setting. Watching  how people talk to their family and friends is  

becoming an increasingly useful way to learn more  about their wants, problems, and motivations.  

Research on ethnic groups Ethnography is a  type of study that grew out of anthropology in  

the 20th century. It involves watching people  in their natural environments, not in a lab.  

In particular, the researchers watch how the  people they talk to do things like go food  

shopping or make dinner. This lets you see what  people really do, not just what they say they do.  

Ethnography uses many different methods, such as  photography, video recordings, notebook studies,  

and direct observation. Researchers  can watch how a person acts at home,  

at work, or with family or friends. As a method of  ethnographic research, passive observation means  

following and watching people without talking to  them or getting in the way of what they are doing.  

Active observation, on the other hand,  means working or cooperating with customers,  

asking them questions about a product or  service, and joining their team or group.  

Online sentence finishers and word games 130  A projective method used in qualitative study,  

sentence completion lets customers say what they  think and feel. With this method, the people who  

fill out the poll get it with sentences that  aren't finished. They should fill in the blanks  

in sentences that describe the goods or find the  right words for the sentence. With this method,  

the researcher can arrange qualitative data.  Word association is a similar method that  

helps researchers learn about how well known  a product or brand is and what pictures and  

ideas people have about it. The respondents are  given the trigger words and told to write down  

the first word, thought, or picture that comes  to mind. Unlike interviews and focus groups,  

phrase completion and word association  can be done online and reach more people.  

Also, it takes less time to look at the data  and figure out how users feel. Once you know  

the most common ways to do qualitative research,  you can plan the research process step by step.  

How to set up a qualitative study? Planning  and strategy are very important if you want to  

get good results from your study. Here are a few  general rules about how to do qualitative study.  

Find out what your study goals are Before you  can plan or run qualitative market research,  

you need to know what you want to learn from it.  Specifically, the research goals could be to find  

out how the product or brand is currently  or could be positioned, to find 131 out how  

people feel about the company or product, to find  out how people react to advertising campaigns,  

packaging, or design, to test how easy it is  to use the website, and to figure out what  

the product's strengths and weaknesses are.  If the researcher didn't have clear goals,  

it would be hard to do qualitative research,  which uses open-ended questions and in-depth  

answers that are hard to directly understand and  analyze. Choose the way you will study. Figure  

out the best way to do market research by looking  at demographics, where your target group lives,  

how they live their lives, and the product that  is being looked at. Most of the time, market  

researchers work with professional recruiters who  find the volunteers and check them out. A big part  

of the researcher's job is to come up with a list  of topics that small groups can talk about. You  

need to have moderators, who would spend 90 to 120  minutes with the group asking questions, watching  

how people respond, and studying behavior.  Look into different ways to gather information.  

Once you've decided on observation, you'll need  a moderator to watch how the players act and take  

notes. Most of the time, you need a video camera  or a one-way mirror for this method. You can also  

combine qualitative and quantitative research to  get both answers and observations from customers  

and numbers to assess. When running focus groups,  you can either have one discussion with eight to  

ten people or a number of online meetings that  last three to four days. 132 Respondents will  

either answer questions from the moderator or  comment on movies that have already been made.  

When you do one-on-one interviews, you need to  talk to the people you're interviewing over the  

phone or set up a meeting. This way will work  if you want people to try the product and tell  

you what they think about it. Look at the  info you've collected. Most of the time,  

it will take the researchers a few days  to a few weeks to gather the information.  

Then, researchers will look at the data and answer  your questions based on what they find. The next  

step is qualitative coding, which is a way to sort  the results into groups to find themes and trends.  

The experts could also include figures to explain  what the data means. Also, the report might have  

a narrative study of the messages and phrases that  were meant to be hidden. The last step is to look  

over the report that the experts made. It can  be written down or recorded on film. The paper,  

which is based on MECE principles, will help you  group the patterns and similarities and sort them  

by demographics and other customer traits.  The document will have specific suggestions,  

so you can draw your own conclusions and start  making changes to how you sell your products.  

In the next part of this piece, we'll take a look  at how well-known brands have used qualitative  

research methods. Examples of qualitative research  133 Qualitative market research helps brands  

improve their image and trustworthiness, divide  their customers into groups, find market trends,  

raise awareness, rebrand their products, and  find out what consumers want. Let's find out  

how McDonald's, Starbucks, and LEGO use data to  compete with tough rivals. McDonald’s McDonald's  

asks customers several important questions  about the best-selling goods, the best prices,  

the most effective ads, and the most-visited  restaurants when doing market research.  

By answering these questions, you can figure out  if the business was able to get more customers.  

Also, McDonald's uses customer comments to  make its products better. Many customers were  

especially upset that there weren't any healthy  or organic options on the menu. So, the company  

added apple pieces and other healthy foods to the  menu and started a campaign to show that chicken  

nuggets and burgers were made of real meat.  Starbucks Starbucks wants its customers to give  

feedback on its website and share ideas through  Twitter. The company keeps an eye on social  

media and cultural trends, and customers can try  out the goods in the stores. From 2008 to 2018,  

Starbucks used the My Starbucks Idea platform to  get feedback on its goods and keep making them  

better. The company used more than 275 suggestions  from customers, such as ideas for new products  

and ways to improve business responsibility. 134  Before a few years ago, LEGO was mostly thought of  

as a business for boys. Then LEGO chose to promote  equality by making toys for both boys and girls.  

The company did a study with 3,500 girls and their  parents to find out how kids act when they play  

with toys. Later, LEGO used the information to  figure out the size of the figures and make bright  

wrapping for the "Friends' ' toy line, which was  made just for girls. Without market research,  

companies wouldn't be able to come up with  new goods, improve the ones they already have,  

meet customer needs, or solve the most difficult  problems. Qualitative research will help you get a  

clear picture of your target customers, understand  how they feel about your brand, find possible  

barriers to purchase and missing features in your  offer, and, as a result, create a great product.