The 5 Common Market Research Studies

Market research is certainly varied: there’s no limit to the number of demographic targets, geo locations, or research goals researchers can have going into a survey. In the same way, there’s a plethora of different ways of actually conducting the research. From online quat surveys to in-person qual interviews, market researchers have developed a number of different research studies.

Online Surveys

Online surveys are the most well-known and commonly used study in market research. A survey, or questionnaire, is a series of questions asked to a respondent to glean more information on a wider demographic’s thoughts, opinions, and feelings on a product or service. When they were first created, surveys were done in person. Later on, they were filled out over the phone or through mail. With the advent of the internet, panels, and thus online surveys, came along too. 

Surveys can be used a variety of different contexts. A researcher could turn to a survey to as general or specific an audience as they need. Whether 1,000 car owners or 10 Hispanic women from Rhode Island with hypertension, a survey is usually the best way to go. Since these surveys are online, they allow for incredible reach and rapid responses at low cost. Unfortunately, the anonymity of the internet does lend itself to a great deal of fraud. While there are always new ways to fight back against online fraud, it’s a problem that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fully get rid of. 

CATI

CATI stands for Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing. When telephone interviews and surveys first began, CATI came into being soon after. CATI involves researchers calling respondents, typically from a randomized list of phone numbers within a specified zip code, and going through a computer-based questionnaire with them. The respondent answers the questions over the phone, and the researcher inputs the answers directly into the survey. With more modern technology, the software can automatically control the sequence of questions, run QA on respondents’ answers, and save the data directly to a database.

Like online surveys, CATI also offers a wide range and quick responses. In fact, it’s often got an even wider range of respondents than online surveys because it can reach people in remote areas who do not have access to the internet. It is also fairly cost-effective, especially when trying to reach these more hard-to-find respondents, as it does not require the costs of in-person and face-to-face market research. It also has significantly less fraud than online research methods. However, it is still typically slower and more expensive than online surveys, and with fewer people willing to pick up the phone to answer a long survey, it can be difficult to actually find respondents.

IHUTs

IHUT stands for In-Home Use Tests, which are a form of primarily qualitative research. IHUTs are a form of product testing that allows respondents to essentially live alongside the product they’re testing. For IHUTs, researchers will ship a client’s product to a group of willing respondents and ask them to use the product as they would in their usual, daily lives. The length of time the respondent has the product varies, anywhere from a week to several months to a year or longer. During this time, the respondent must provide some sort of feedback on the product, sometimes taking the form of a daily journal, regular surveys, or even video recording of using the product. 

IHUTs are loved by researchers for the deep and valuable insights they can draw out. Respondents who use a facial cleanser every day for three weeks will have plenty of opinions, information, and thoughts to share about that cleanser, more than anyone else could. Researchers also love IHUTs because respondents love them, too; getting to use a product for free, and sometimes even keeping it, all from the comfort of your own home is something anyone would be ecstatic about. However, IHUTs do require a great deal of trust in respondents. Respondents may not use the product correctly, or at all, and thus may not provide informed and accurate answers. Certain products may not be suitable for private use within the home, as well, and shipping costs can add up quickly. 

Focus Groups

Focus groups are a sort of qualitative group interview. Led by a moderator, focus groups work to find deeper insights by having a group conversation. Sometimes, a product may be brought in by the researcher for the group participants to try and discuss. Other times, a moderator may include activities and projects for the participants to work on to gain better understanding of their feelings, opinions, and thoughts. Focus groups may be conducted either in person or in online chatrooms, though some sort of face-to-face discussion is usually expected.

Focus groups, like other qualitative research, center on respondents’ feelings and opinions, rather than the cold, hard numbers of quantitative research. As such, focus groups can sometimes take multiple sessions in order to get the kinds of responses than researchers are looking for. Focus groups are also expensive, as you need the proper facility to run it in, as well as hiring a moderator and paying out incentives to the participants. However, the insights that can be gained from focus groups are unparalleled, as you can have a wide variety of different voices all express and form their own opinions together.

MROCs

MROC stands for a Market Research Online Community. This is a digital space where respondents have agreed to participate in discussions and activities for the purpose of market research. Not unlike a focus group, MROCs have moderators, group conversations, and qualitative research goals. Unlike focus groups, however, MROCs are entirely online and may run for several months to a year to allow participants to have a deeper understanding of the research they’re helping with.

MROCs run into a lot of the same problems as online surveys. Fraud can be high, and while respondents typically start out very engaged and excited, the length of the study can lead to survey exhaustion and engagement dropoff. Similarly, while the online aspect of MROCs offer a great deal of choices in terms of respondent demographics, it does neglect those without internet connection. Nevertheless, a successful MROC can provide qualitative insights that few other research methods can.