Consumer meetings: all our tips for planning an effective focus group

Consumer meetings are qualitative studies, also called focus groups, which aim to analyze consumer behavior through in-depth interviews and surveys. These discussion groups organized by businesses play a crucial role in collecting feedback from customers or prospects. This valuable tool for marketing strategies makes it possible in particular to: better understand needs and expectations of their target in order to adjust the offers accordingly.

The relevance and effectiveness of qualitative research are based on careful planning, and in particular with regard to the selection of the consumer panel, the preparation of the questionnaire and the choice of the consumer meeting room. In this article, Formeret gives you his advice for organizing a productive qualitative study.

What are the goals of a consumer meeting?

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A consumer meeting is an opportunity to interview a group of customers and/or prospects to find out more about their expectations, opinions and behaviors with respect to a product or service. Businesses organize consumer meetings to meet several strategic goals.

Some of the most common goals include:

• Identify customer expectations : these group discussions allow the sharing and exchange of valuable information on customer preferences, needs or concerns. This study format has the advantage of offering a great deal of freedom of expression to interviewees, as several participants may have different opinions or feelings on the same subject. These exchanges help to verify that the proposed offer corresponds to the reality of the market.
• Testing new products or services : qualitative analysis is widely used in product launches. This allows businesses to gather customer feedback even before launching new products or concepts on a large scale. The consumer meeting thus makes it possible to test products, prototypes or simply ideas to identify possible improvements. These may concern the product itself as well as the packaging, etc.
• Improving the existing offer : the collection of qualitative data can also be used to identify areas for improvement for products or services already on sale. This method is often used in the search for innovations on existing products since it provides valuable information on what works and what could be optimized, both in terms of product, customer service or communication.
• Improving the marketing strategy: these meetings can also be an opportunity to find new ways of thinking about marketing and communication strategy. It is possible to test a new logo, a new branding, various slogans, among others, to see if the targets are more receptive to a humorous, emotional, expert positioning, etc.
• Strengthening the relationship with consumers : by looking at consumers' expectations and their point of view in order to improve the experience and the products/services offered, these meetings also ultimately improve customer loyalty.

Good to know: qualitative and quantitative studies complement each other. If a qualitative study answers the question “why?” ”, the quantitative study answers the question “how much?” ”. In addition, there are other qualitative approach formats, such as the observation of behavior in a real purchasing situation or individual interviews.

‍How can these group studies be organized effectively?

For this methodology to be effective, careful preparation is essential. Follow these few steps for a successful organization:

1. Determining goals : start by determining the main problem to set the scope of the market study. For example, you can use previously conducted quantitative analyses, consumer trends, etc.
2. Choose participants : this step is one of the most important. Care must be taken to recruit a panel representative of the company's target audience to obtain relevant insights when analyzing qualitative data. The group must be small, around ten people in general, in order to guarantee quality exchanges with each panelist. This can include current customers and prospects.
3. Prepare questions : the questionnaire must be clear, precise and with open questions in order to promote constructive exchanges. The ideal is to create a guide to frame the exchange, while leaving some flexibility. Indeed, the advantage of face-to-face meetings is to be able to adapt the survey according to the responses of the customer panel. The questions asked should encourage consumers to express their true opinions and to express new ideas in a creative way; closed-ended questions should therefore be avoided.
4. Manage logistics : this step should not be underestimated. It includes the choice of the meeting place, the duration (from 1 hour to 2 hours on average), the necessary equipment (e.g.: videos, audio recordings, visual supports, free samples...), but also the type of compensation for participants (paid surveys, vouchers, gift vouchers, gift vouchers, etc.).

Focus on the choice of meeting room

The setting in which the meeting takes place is very important in the smooth progress of the focus group. Indeed, the latter can influence the quality of discussions. It is important to rent a comfortable, quiet and friendly consumer meeting room to promote a relaxed atmosphere, conducive to free and open exchanges. Concretely, what criteria should be taken into account when choosing a consumer meeting room?

• It must be spacious enough to guarantee the cosiness of all participants without being too big, in order to maintain a friendly setting and to promote natural interaction.
• It should be set up to meet the needs of these types of meetings: a circle or U-shaped layout, for example, allows everyone to see each other easily and to participate actively in the conversation. The ideal is to opt for modular spaces that adapt to your needs.
• The environment should be neutral to avoid any unintended influence or bias on the opinions of the group.
• The equipment in the room, in particular the technical equipment, must meet the requirements of this type of meeting (e.g.: screen, audio equipment, whiteboard, camera, etc.).

How do you conduct these meetings?

The aim of this gathering is to create a collective emulation by encouraging each panelist to participate and interact. The role of the facilitator is therefore essential, it directly influences the success of these qualitative surveys. It must adopt animation techniques allowing to promote exchanges and to obtain relevant insights.

1. Facilitate the discussion : the facilitator should create a friendly environment where participants feel comfortable sharing their ideas. This includes active listening and effective time management.
2. Encourage exchanges : the more the participants express themselves freely, the more informative the results obtained will be and the more varied the perspectives will be. The animator is therefore required to confront consumers with different points of view to stimulate their creativity, through brainstorming techniques or role-playing games, for example. Finally, he must ensure that everyone has fair speaking time, to avoid certain voices dominating the debate.
3. Gather relevant insights : the objective of the meeting is to collect useful data. To do this, it is important to ask open and neutral questions so as not to bias the answers, but also to be flexible in exploring new ideas. The facilitator must also know how to stimulate the participants to deepen certain topics when necessary.

This group discussion is generally supervised by the facilitator, or the interviewer, who is accompanied by an observer (person responsible for taking notes on the exchanges).

Consumer meeting: the importance of analysis and follow-up

Once the meeting is over, thedata analysis collected is a crucial step. Participants' feedback should be carefully analyzed, sorted and synthesized. It must be done from Objectively, by evaluating the vocabulary used, The lexical field, by identifying common points in responses, recurring problems or even new consumer expectations. The feedback collected and analyzed must then lead to concrete actions : product launch, service modification, adjustment of a communication strategy, etc. Also, remember to keep participants informed of the results of the focus group. This makes it possible to create a relationship of trust and to build their loyalty.

Conclusion

Giving your opinion, testing the products of a brand you love, earning money to make ends meet, winning gifts, discovering innovations first hand... Whatever the reasons that motivate consumers to participate in these studies, they are a mine of valuable information for businesses. Do you want to organize a consumer meeting in Paris? Explore our rooms designed for this purpose in our exceptional spaces. Our modular rooms have a comfortable and friendly environment for participants and all the necessary technical equipment. We also offer a range of ancillary services to ensure a quality experience.