Focus Groups

• In a focus group, the moderator observes the body language and expressions of participants.Jupiterimages/Comstock/Getty Images
  
  Focus groups are one of the most commonly used types of qualitative research. Qualitative means you can get detailed, descriptive information but you can't attach any statistical significance to the answers. In-person focus groups allow researchers to personally connect with buyers and prospects, seeing their expressions and body language as they speak about the in-house brand and its competitors in the marketplace. Market forecasts cannot be developed using focus groups.
  
  

In-Depth Interviews

• Depth interviews are also a qualitative approach. Questions are open-ended. A skilled researcher asks the questions in private conversation or in groups of two or three, but does not lead the respondents toward any particular answer. Certain depth interviews may be conducted via telephone or online, but then body language cannot be assessed. These interviews are usually a prelude to quantitative research because they frequently uncover hidden buying motivations and opportunities.
  
  

Questionnaires and Mall Intercepts

• Questionnaires can be as simple as a self-administered, rate-our-service card left in waiting areas or conducted by researchers at a centralized location. In a mall intercept, researchers seek to interview respondents from specific demographic segments, so questions like "age" might be asked up front. Sometimes the respondent will be asked to view videos, like movie trailers, and asked what she noticed, what she liked or which trailer she liked better. A skilled researcher can gather a great deal of information quickly.
  
  

Telephone Surveys

• Telephone interviewers must kept surveys concise to avoid upsetting respondents.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Researchers need to keep survey length short, no more than 10 to 12 questions, as this is one the most intrusive methods of gathering data. They are best for mostly closed-end questioning, when dimensions and ranges of issues are known. Success depends on finding those consumers or business users who are interested in the topic. The best use of this methodology is for top-of-mind awareness, branding and brand comparisons and perception studies.
  
  

Observational Techniques

• Ethnography comes from social research and anthropology. Instead of being asked what they believe or what they have done, participants are observed by the researchers. Popular ethnographic methods include having participants write in diaries, having researchers follow participants into a store or having participants make video recordings of themselves.
  
  

Online Surveys

• The advantage of online surveys, which can be quantitative or qualitative, is that they can have a more complicated construction. For example, if a person answers "no" to a particular question, the survey automatically skips several unnecessary questions. Online is less intrusive because the respondent can answer it at will. Generally, these hard-to-reach respondents see some benefit in answering the survey. Responses are tabulated instantly and multiple phases are easy to implement.