In
the focused group interview, a small number of individuals
(8-12) are brought together. The focus group setting
attempts to have the comments of each person considered
in group discussion. Each individual is thereby exposed
to the ideas of the others and submits his or her ideas
to the group for consideration (Churchill, 1987). The
participants are selected because they have certain
characteristics in common that relate to the topic of
the focus group.
The
interaction among the group members is only loosely
directed by the group interviewer, called the moderator.
Focus groups are currently one of the most frequently
used techniques in marketing research; they have proven
productive for:
1.
generating hypotheses that can be further tested quantitatively;
2. generating information helpful in structuring consumer
questionnaires;
3. providing overall background information on a product
category;
4. securing impressions on new product concepts for
which there is little information available;
5. stimulating new ideas about older products;
6. stimulating ideas for new creative concepts; and
7. interpreting previously obtained quantitative results
(Churchill,
1987).
