(860) 677-2877

Qualitative Market Research
in Connecticut and Western MASS

Focus Groups

Create a strategic road map for your company. Innovate and receive immediate customer reaction. Test existing and new product design. Get to the “why” behind the numbers of a quantitative survey. Find the underlying motivations of your customers. Qual research is a fast way to test your ideas. Discover from customers approaches you never thought of. Get inside the head of your competitors' customers. What are customers and non customers saying about your brand? Are you missing marketing opportunities?

The perception of the consultant and the quality of the research respondent
make all the difference in qualitative research.

CTOpinion’s research consultants are seasoned professionals with decades of experience in qualitative research consulting. They have the breadth of experience consulting in many industries and in all regions of the country. 

Before undertaking an assignment, our consultant will meet with your team to discuss your objectives. Your team will have the opportunity to evaluate the consultant and be assured that a successful match is being made.

A successful project is clear on the issues and objectives it addresses,
presents effective discussion guides and materials, and is intent on
selecting research respondents most likely to generate insightful responses. 

Six Qualitative Research Tools That CTOpinion Consultants Use

Online and in-person

focus groups

The focus group is a discussion guided by a moderator experienced in drawing insights from the group.  The discussion is held in a two-way mirrored facility for viewing or on an online platform like Zoom..  If you ever attended a live focus group in a facility, you know how animated and fun the discussion can be.

Online and in-person

individual interviews

With depth interviews, the moderator can probe on particularly complex or sensitive issues.  It is often used when a number of printed or video exhibits need to be assessed and improved.

Journals and Diaries

These online tools are usually asynchronous discussion boards.   Respondents respond to a researcher’s questions and to the comments of other respondents.  A project can be active for a few days or for weeks.  Pictures and videos can be uploaded by the respondent to paint a realistic picture of products in actual use.

Ethnographies

The researcher observes and interacts in the respondent’s real-life environment. Ethnographies, by being really close to the respondent using the product or service, can discover issues that are ripe for a solution.

Shop-alongs

A subset of ethnographies.  The researcher walks along with the shopper in his or her evaluation of products and shelf presentation.

Web Usability

A subset of individual depth interviews.  The researcher walks through a web page in evaluating its stenghths and weaknesses.

Qualitative Research and Quantitative Research
Each Have Their Own Unique Advantages

Advantages of Quantitative Research

Quantitative research provides you critical information on your business and industry in the here and now.  The research takes its modus operande in the form of surveys and Big Data.  Data is usually collected through structured questions asked of customers (survey data) or captured from actual purchases (big data).   The data can be analyzed statistically and can present important insight into current customer behavior and customer perceptions of your company and its competitors.  An objective of quantitative research is to collect enough information from customers and customer data to project what all customers are thinking and doing.  But the critical point in quantitative research is that you have to know what to ask in the survey and what data to collect.  When questions are not asked or you are limited to preexisting information, you may not always expect to generate insightful answers.

Advantages of Qualitative Research

Qualitative research addresses this deficit.  It can be the means to find significant, critical questions that may initially be unapparent.  It’s the means to develop new product ideas and uncover future intentions and attitudes that could significantly alter your organization’s strategic plan.  Qualitative research’s best use is to move beyond conventional perceptions held in your industry.  Qualitative research is both understanding how your customers currently perceive your product or service, and exploratory in terms of how your products or services can possibly change in the future.  It deals directly with real people, probing their thoughts, and through probing, develop insight into where your organization can take its next steps.

CTOpinion is the qualitative research consulting arm of Research for Policy Decisions, Inc. RPD also operates Connecticut Connection, a focus group facility in Glastonbury, CT. The company has been conducting qualitative market research for over 40 years for thousands of national and regional companies.

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