When you kick off your qualitative market research study, there are a number of things to consider. From identifying your target audience and narrowing down your qualifying criteria through to choosing the right type of methodology, there’s a lot to think about - and one of the most important things to decide on is what level of agency support you are looking for.

From pricing to planning, you’ll need to carefully look at all the options available to you so you can make an informed decision about what type of market research recruitment agency is right for you. If you need help with your entire research project or if you want additional support for your in-house team throughout all stages of your research, then a full service market research agency might just be the best fit for your needs.

The market research world has undergone some serious advances over the past 20 years, with new technology in market research allowing for more efficient and meaningful data collection than ever before. The shift to online surveys in the 90s was the first of these changes to rock the industry, and since then they’ve been coming thick and fast, from smartphones and big data to social media and now artificial intelligence. But what do all of these changes mean? Well, basically, it means that companies can make faster, more informed decisions whilst still keeping customers at the heart of everything they do. Let’s take a look at the changes in a bit more detail…

Mobile ethnography is a type of research methodology that allows researchers to observe respondents in their natural environment. It’s discreet, it’s fast and it’s adaptable: using their mobile phones, participants complete tasks at home or out in the real world as and when they are happening, making it a great qualitative tool that allows access to unbeatable insights without any external influences. From video diaries to pre-tasks for accompanied shops or even snapping in-the-moment photos, it gives researchers the chance to peek into participants’ lives more clearly than ever before. And because it fits around people’s busy lives, digital ethnography is a methodology that truly ticks all the boxes. If you’re thinking about using mobile ethnography as part of your next qualitative market research project, why not try these top tips so you can achieve maximum engagement and unlock in-depth insights…

Millennials and Generation Z are the leading actors of the digital age. They’re the influencers of tomorrow, and are expected to account for a staggering 2.56 billion of the global population by 2020, making them a really important demographic for qualitative market research. And as this new generation comes of age, their spending power will continue to rise - so it’s really important that researchers understand how to appeal to this younger audience and engage them in market research so brands can understand what makes them tick. One way to do this is by using video to unlock qualitative insights in a way that interests and excites them. Read on to find out how…

Social media has never been more popular. People are spending more time than ever before on various platforms, with the average person spending two hours a day across different sites. You might think that doesn’t sound too bad, but to put it another way - that’s five years of your life spent on social media. And younger generations clock up even more hours, with recent research suggesting they spend a staggering nine hours a day on social media platforms (yes, you read that right - they spend more time than the average working day on social platforms!).

So considering the statistics above, it makes sense that more and more researchers are using social media as part of their market research recruitment toolkit. After all, it’s a really powerful way to interact with your target audience, and thanks to promoted posts and Facebook ads, it’s also a great way to reach out to a large amount of people in a fast and cost-effective way. Not only that, but if you’re worried about seeing the same faces time and time again in your qualitative market research, it can also be a fantastic way to find fresh respondents as well. Read on to discover how…

As conducting qualitative market research with children and young people becomes more and more popular, it’s important that market researchers know how to engage with and empower children to generate the best possible results. Young people and children are still developing - and that means that the way they think, act and communicate is still developing too, which will bring about a completely different level of insights to market research with adults.

Most importantly, when recruiting children for qualitative market research, researchers need to make sure they follow the MRS Code of Conduct and ensure that the children’s health and wellbeing are put above everything else at all times. But that’s not all there is to think about. If you want to generate the best possible results when conducting qualitative market research with children, you need to engage with them and empower them so they feel comfortable and confident enough to open up. Here’s how… 

When kicking off a market research study, one of the first steps is always determining what kind of participants you want to recruit. Are you looking for a particular age group? Do they need to have specific interests or behaviours? For example, should they have purchased a certain product recently or shop at a specific store? And what about age group? By answering these types of questions you can decide on your recruitment criteria, which will ultimately have an impact on which recruitment technique you decide to use. And often when it comes to reaching niche audiences, social media is a great solution.

Ethnographic research essentially turns research inside out: instead of bringing the subject to the researcher, it involves researchers embedding themselves in the respondent's environment so they can observe their experiences first hand. It’s a great research methodology because it allows you to get right to the heart of customer behaviour and sometimes learn things about your consumers that they haven’t even consciously recognised about themselves.

Market research is changing. In today’s digital world, simple questions such as “do my customers like my product?” are no longer enough when it comes to qualitative market research. Clients today want more detailed insights than ever before - which means that market research needs to deliver informative insights so that they can make more educated decisions and stay ahead of the competition. In this digital world, it’s no longer just about perceptions, but also thought processes and stories that resonate with target audiences and drive change. But what exactly does all this mean for qualitative market research? 

Carrying out a feasibility assessment is an essential part of any successful market research study. In fact, when starting your qualitative market research project one of the first things you need to ask yourself is whether or not your sample size is achievable so you can make sure your study is reliable and representative of your audience.