Focus Groups

Focus groups are an efficient way of gathering insight into likely consumer reactions to a new business idea. They are a particularly useful tool for new ventures, allowing them to identify emerging needs in the marketplace that the established organization may miss and helping them to arrive at new solutions to an age-old problem. Focus groups have been used in market research since the 1920s, so there is [Page 199]a good understanding of the way to conduct focus groups for reliable results. Practical advice on the planning and recruiting of focus groups is summarized in many business research methods books. In addition to offering speed and comparative ease in conducting group interviews to collect information about new venture propositions, focus groups are useful because many ...