3 Types of Qualitative Market Research

Depending on your industry and goals, qualitative market research can prove to be an attractive and fruitful way of capturing key insights. In its true essence, descriptive qualitative research can help companies come up with new product concepts, while simultaneously helping explain social change in terms of how consumers behave. While there are different types of qualitative research methods, not all variations are beneficial for every type of business or objective. Today, we will discuss the top 3 types of qualitative research methods that you can adopt for more productivity and business profitability.

What is qualitative market research?

Before we talk about the different types of qualitative research methods, it is important to understand what qualitative market research is all about and how you can use different types of qualitative research methodologies to your advantage. In short, qualitative market research comprise open-ended questions (mostly conversational) that rely on a small but highly validated sample size. The average sample size for qualitative market research generally tends to consist of anywhere between 6 and 10 respondents. This small size of participants ensures cost savings for qualitative research firms. Additionally, open-ended questions allow the free flow of information and in-depth discussion and analysis of given topics.

Different types of qualitative research methods

Here are the 3 most common types of qualitative research methods that you can incorporate into your market research mix:

1. In Home Use Testing – iHUTs

In Home Usage Test is one of the most functional and cost-effective market research techniques to test your product with actual customers before launching it in the market. Participants are given a selection of items to use at home. A follow-up telephone poll, online survey, or even an in-person interview is used to collect their inputs. As the responder gets to use the product while providing the client with in-depth input on what potential customers will think after the product reaches the market, this methodology is particularly interesting, engaging, and highly insightful.

2. Focus Group Discussions

As you can guess from the name, a focus group generally comprises anywhere between 6-10 participants that are brought together to discuss a particular matter. It can be a discussion regarding a product or service and its market strategies. In most scenarios, focus groups consist of experts in a particular field regarding which the research initiative is being conducted. Focus groups feature a moderator who stimulates the discussion among the members to derive their opinions. These opinions are extremely valuable, as they can help shape an organization’s future R&D and marketing strategies.

3. Online Bulletin Boards

When it comes to qualitative market research, an online bulletin board happens to be one of the most engaging types of qualitative research methods to get the best answers to questions linked to your study. To encourage data generation through interactive discussions between participants and moderators, this qualitative data collection method entails assembling a virtual assembly. A market research online bulletin board functions much like a personal forum. Users can log in, view postings, respond to inquiries, share comments, and post their own information on the online tool or discussion thread. Additionally, a moderator is present to keep an eye on the conversation, weigh in when appropriate, and ask new or follow-up questions.

Final word

Qualitative market research can open up new insights and opportunities as far as business development is concerned. In today’s dynamic and agile business environment, it always pays off to employ the right types of qualitative market research methodologies to meet stated objectives. Simultaneously, you need the best market research company by your side to ensure that your efforts are successful. When looking to partner with a reputable firm that offers proven market research services, look no further than Unimrkt Research. We integrate advanced technology into our research methods to bring the best results. We offer quantitative and qualitative market research services for different industries on a global scale in a variety of languages. To know more about the best market research services, call +91-124-424-5210 or fill out our contact form.