A focus group is a common research method in market research. It is a valuable tool for gathering insights into how customers think and behave. In this article, we provide an overview of the structure and uses of group discussions. This includes how to select participants and the best types of questions to ask.

Definition of a focus group

A focus group brings together a small group of people to discuss a specific topic. It typically consists of 6 to 8 participants who share a key characteristic or interest.

The group discussion is facilitated by a focus group moderator, who asks questions and encourages the participants to share their opinions. These discussions are usually held in-person, but online focus groups have become more popular in recent years.

What is a focus group — *Image: A focus group brings together a small group of people to discuss a specific topic.*

The purpose of focus groups

The purpose of a focus group panel is to gain a deeper understanding of customer attitudes, behaviors, and motivations. Those attributes can be hard to quantify.

Group discussions tease out the nuances of complex topics. For instance, B2B market research companies use group discussions to understand how emotions affect business decisions. It often provides more context on the “how” and “why” behind these decisions, which complements quantitative data collected through surveys.

Focus groups can be stand-alone or incorporated into a wider research study:

Singular method: stand-alone group discussions

When focus groups are the singular method for data collection, the purpose is to explore ideas and diagnose problems. This is particularly useful for developing new products and concepts. The flowing nature of a group discussion makes it easy to test out various possibilities, for instance, what features would be useful in a new product. Points made by one participant may spark an idea from someone else.

Group discussions are also used in B2B qualitative research when it is too difficult to recruit a large enough sample for a statistical survey. It is hard to reach and incentivize some B2B audiences because they are highly compensated and busy. Qualitative research methods with a smaller sample can provide valuable insight into these B2B audiences’ needs, behaviors, and decision-making processes.

Multi-method: the relationship between surveys and focus groups

In a multi-method research approach, a focus group is followed by a quantitative survey with a larger sample size. Surveys are conducted with individuals online, via telephone or video call, or on the street. The quantitative research study establishes whether the opinions of the focus group are statistically significant in the wider population.

Qualitative insights from group discussions are also used to narrow down the focus of quantitative surveys, making them more relevant to the audience and shortening the length of the questionnaire. This increases the likelihood that any quantitative insights gathered will be useful.

Typical uses of group discussions in market research

Product development research: To test out new products with a small group of customers. Their feedback might inform product features, pricing, and marketing.
Concept testing: To gather feedback from target audiences on brand names and marketing campaigns. This might include stimulus, such as the creative design for ads.
Customer journey mapping: To define the touchpoints in a customer journey. This is sometimes a precursor to a quantitative study on how customers interact with a business.
Customer needs assessment: To delve deeper into customer needs, particularly when there are multiple factors influencing buying decisions.
Customer experience: To understand nuances in the overall customer experience. For instance, identifying pain points in the delivery of services.
Brand perception: To explore perceptions of a brand, particularly when it is hard to get a significant sample to quantify.

How to structure a focus group

The structure of a focus group is consistent in some ways. These characteristics help make the group discussion successful in terms of qualitative insights.

Timing: The typical length of a session is one to two hours, but it can be longer. This is enough time to allow for an in-depth discussion, without the participants losing interest.
Location: Group discussions can be held in-person or online using telephone and video conferencing software. In-person sessions are often held in neutral settings, like hotel conference rooms. The space needs to be quiet and with enough room for the participants to be comfortable.
Room set up: The participants usually sit around a boardroom table. This ensures that the moderator can see and hear everyone in the group.
Product testing: Sometimes a session will include product demonstrations, or the moderator will share branding and ad concepts.
No audience in the room: This is to avoid third parties from biasing responses with reactions or feedback. Sometimes, clients and organizers will watch live from another room through a two-way mirror. It allows them to see the discussion first-hand without influencing responses in the room.
Recording: The session is often recorded with video and audio equipment to capture the discussion for later analysis.

How to run a focus group

Focus groups require careful planning and preparation. It usually takes at least a month to write the discussion guide, recruit the participants, and organize the venue.

While it is possible to run a session independently, many businesses choose to hire a market research company to organize, facilitate, and analyze the data. This keeps the organization soliciting feedback anonymous and avoids unduly influencing the participants, who may alter their feedback to be more positive or negative. Market research companies are also more experienced and adept at running group discussions and parsing the data for insights.

Here are the steps for how to run a focus group:

1. Outline objectives and plan the discussion

First, it's essential to define the research objectives of the group discussion. What specific insights are you seeking? Understanding the goals will guide the selection of participants, the design of questions, and the overall structure of the session.

The market research agency then puts together a discussion guide which outlines the questions and topics to cover during the session.

2. Recruit the participants

The market research agency recruits 6 to 8 participants who are relevant to the discussion topic. Recruitment can be through social media, customer lists, or a market research agency. The participants are invited to attend the session at a convenient meeting place and time. They are usually paid for their time. It is generally advisable to recruit at least 1-2 more participants than the number desired to attend, in case any of those recruited are not able to attend the session in the end.

3. Conduct the session

The focus group moderator leads the group discussion using the discussion guide. While there is an agenda, the flexible structure of focus groups means that moderators can probe deeper into interesting topics when they arise. This is helpful when trying to understand the nuances behind customer needs and behaviors.

4. Analyze the qualitative data

After the session is completed, the recording is transcribed and analyzed. Participant responses are coded to identify common themes, insights, and patterns. This analysis is often supplemented with notes from the moderator and any non-verbal cues observed during the session.

How to select participants for a focus group

Ideally, focus group participants represent a broad range of backgrounds and views in the target market. For instance, a B2B market research agency looking for feedback on an ad concept for accountancy services would aim to include both men and women with a range of ages, job seniority, and professions that use accountancy services.

It is also important that the participants are key decision makers. In the example above, the participants would need to be responsible for procurement decisions about accountancy services for their company. This ensures that their views are informed and relevant to the topic.

The role of a focus group moderator

The role of a focus group moderator is to lead the group discussion. They are often trained market research professionals. They ask questions to the group and probe into the responses.

Moderators are responsible for encouraging everyone in the group to contribute. The collaborative nature of the discussion can reveal shared norms and experiences, as well as differing opinions. However, it is easy for one or two voices to dominate the discussion. A skilled moderator makes sure that the discussion is balanced and that it stays on topic.

Designing the best questions for focus groups

The best questions for focus groups are open-ended, neutral and prompt discussion. Open-ended questions encourage detailed responses rather than yes/no answers. Moderators should also avoid asking leading questions that may bias responses. They should focus on specific topics to maintain clarity and relevance.

Focus group question examples

Here are some focus group question examples:

"What factors influence your decision to purchase this product?"
"How do you feel about this advertising campaign?"
"Can you describe a recent experience you had with our customer service?"

Advantages of focus groups

There are many advantages of focus groups, making them a valuable tool in market research:

Depth of insight: They provide a deeper understanding of attitudes and motivations, offering a fuller picture of customer behavior.
Flexibility: Moderators can adapt the discussion to explore interesting topics as they emerge, rather than following a scripted set of questions.
Ideal for niche audiences: Some audiences are too difficult to recruit for quantitative research, which makes them ideal for smaller group discussions.
Immediate feedback: Companies can receive immediate feedback on new products, brand concepts, and ad campaigns.
Provides a framework: The qualitative data gathered can complement and inform a second phase of quantitative research.

Limitations of focus groups

Despite their benefits, focus groups also have downsides:

Small sample size: Insights may not be generalizable to the broader population. This is why focus groups are sometimes followed by quantitative surveys.
Group dynamics: Participants with dominant personalities can skew the discussion if not managed effectively by the moderator.
Risk of bias: A poor moderator can influence the discussion by asking leading questions or failing to follow up on important points.
Cost: Focus groups can be more expensive than other research methods.
Inconvenience: In-person focus groups require the organizer and participants to travel to a specific location.

Conclusion: The research value of focus groups

Focus groups are a powerful qualitative research method. They offer deep insights into customer behavior and preferences that can help to shape business and marketing strategies. This includes product development, concept testing, customer journey mapping, and improving the customer experience.

The research value of focus groups is particularly apparent among niche audiences, such as B2B professionals, where it can be hard to recruit respondents for a statistically sound quantitative study. In those cases, focus groups can provide valuable insights into the attitudes, preferences, and behaviors of B2B customers.

Whether used alone or in conjunction with other research methods, focus groups provide the qualitative data needed to make informed, strategic decisions.

Focus groups FAQ

A focus group is a qualitative research method. While quantitative research methods aim to find a numerical value for behaviors and attitudes, qualitative research seeks to uncover deeper insights that are harder to quantify. This richer detail provides insight into trends, patterns, and behaviors that is not always clear in the statistical data.
Participants are paid for their time. Compensation can range from free samples of a product to cash incentives of several hundreds of dollars, depending on the difficulty in recruiting relevant participants.
Focus groups are not only used for exploring customer insights. For instance, the definition of a focus group in AP Gov is a facilitated discussion among a small group of voters, typically 6 to 12 people. It is used to gather feedback for a political campaign on the popularity of a candidate or certain policy proposals. The voters are often chosen to participate because of certain demographic characteristics, such as age and gender, and/or their political affiliation.

What is a focus group? Definition and examples