Qualitative market research is an essential element of market research. However, making sure we offer the best information using qualitative methods to our clients is crucial for us. Below are our top five essential practices to conduct an effective qualitative study via the Vocal Views Platform.
1. Make sure you are clear about your research goals
The right answers depend upon asking questions that are relevant and to identify the appropriate questions to ask, you’ll require an understanding of your research goals.
We believe that being in tune with what our clients are looking to achieve is the most effective way to determine the direction we should take when working on a new market research study. We spend time to learn what our clients ‘ needs are and think about the future results and make sure to not make assumptions regarding the research. If the research goal is broad, we typically find it beneficial to create a list of sub-targets.
After having clearly defined and understood the research targets, we recommend checking that the suggested method of research is the right one to use. For instance, would individual interviews be superior to focus groups or is an ethnographic approach more beneficial?
2. Be aware of your audience
Knowing your audience’s characteristics is the same as being familiar with your research. We recommend to our clients to ask, “who is the audience and what are their distinctive characteristics?”.
Your research may target different groups in different markets, Your message may differ significantly between these groups. Consider the exact questions you must ask each segment of every market to get the information you require will make sure that your discussions and screeners guides are adapted to each audience, we call this localisation. In order to ensure the highest quality from your participants, you need to make sure that their experience participating is personal and thrilling.
3. Reduce the chance of bias in your research
It is not possible to completely eliminate bias from your research in completeness, especially when using qualitative methods. However, it is still important to reduce bias in order to increase your chances of discovering new perspectives or potential customers groups. Consider the possible causes of bias when you are defining the criteria for screening your research, but be aware of this when you are creating your research material: even the simplest aspects like the introduction provided by the moderator, the order of research questions, as well as the structure of your stimulus materials may be a source of bias for your research.
4. Utilize skilled researchers to help your work
A good researcher is a major factor in a successful research project: Employ experienced moderators and interviewers, and you’re likely to gain a better comprehension of your target audience. That’s why at Vocal Views, we try to collaborate with the top 10% researchers. We mostly use third-party experts with specific subject or industry knowledge instead of insisting on our clients using internal interviewers.
Apart from gaining more intelligent responses, an experienced researcher will make everyone feel comfortable and be able to recognize the subtle cues of others and manage people who are vulnerable in a compassionate manner. A skilled researcher will bring balance to group discussions, so that all participants are heard, and the conversation doesn’t get dominating by the louder participants in the group.
5. You might want to combine your qualitative research and the quantitative information you gain.
Qualitative research and quantitative are the perfect partners, as they complement one another. While qualitative research can help you explore new topics and help you to know your target audience on a more intimate levels, quantitative research offers an easily digestible numbers which give you a comprehensive image of your entire audience.
For instance, quantitative data will help you comprehend the broad audience or market, while qualitative research can aid in understanding a particular segment of your audience at the level of detail. In many instances, the mixed method approach will give you an even more lively and dynamic picture of your target audience than qualitative or quantitative research by itself.
