Qualitative Research is now Widely Used, both in local Markets and Internationally

Qualitative research is now widely used, both in local markets and internationally, and is increasingly influential in modern marketing and social policy-making. Its methodologies, analytic tools and philosophy however, are different from those of quantitative or survey research, which traditionally has provided guidelines for the Market Research Industry as a whole. Whether a focus market research group study or online survey or other methods, ultimately all market research survey methods belong to either one of the categories – qualitative market research surveys or quantitative market surveys.

Qualitative research entails getting people to expand on their answers so that you can get more insight into their attitudes and behaviour. It’s all about getting deeper into people’s responses to find out what is driving their decisions.

Qualitative market research means “quality.”  Conversely, and importantly, it does not mean “quantity.”  Qualitative research methods are designed to talk to relatively few people in the target audience of interest ie a smaller sample size. The purpose of qualitative research is to plumb the depths and range of buyer attitudes and beliefs, not to measure incidence, project, or forecast quantity.

Popular qualitative market research methodologies include focus group studies, depth interviews (a one on one interaction with the respondent), triads (one interviewer and three respondents), dyads (one interviewer and two respondents) and observational techniques

The level of professional quality and validity of results in market surveys is driven by the design, interviewing experience of the moderator or principal interviewer, and the interpretation of results by the market research consultant or marketing analyst.

It is vital to choose the right person to interview people or as a moderator of the group discussion. Thus, professional market researchers are the ideal choice and it is imperative that the business owners or managers don’t run the sessions themselves. So, it is vital to find an independent person for unbiased results and to get honest and free-flowing views and thoughts of the focus group.

Qualitative Market Research helps in a deeper understanding of your customer, your brand positioning, market analysis and new market penetration. It is a strong tool for idea generation and for spinning 

Ref: – http://www.coralresearch.in/blog/2015/08/05/qualitative-research-is-now-widely-used-both-in-local-markets-and-internationally/