All focus groups, both those that take place in-person and online, provide a group environment where in-depth qualitative data can be collected, and social dynamics can be observed in real-time. But online focus groups also provide a variety of specific benefits that their traditional counterparts cannot.

Geographic Diversity - Without ties to a physical location, online focus groups can more easily represent a wider geographic spread of individuals. Not only that, but the abundance of online sampling and recruitment options makes it easier to reach a greater volume of potential participants - such as those who might have schedules too busy to commit to an in-person session.

Speed and Flexibility - The end-to-end process of setting up, recruiting, fielding and analysing the results from an online focus group is fast. So fast, in fact, that it can be done in a matter of days. This is a big departure from in-person alternatives, which can take weeks or months to complete. With speed comes the flexibility to adapt research on the fly too - adding or extending the scope of groups as requirements change.

Natural Environments - Research has shown that participants are more relaxed, more comfortable and more likely to share their true opinions in their natural surroundings. Participants who take part in online focus groups do so from their own homes, which is often conducive to a better experience and, ultimately, more honest reflections.

As the role of online tools in market research have grown, so too have the methods available to insight professionals. One area where this growth is especially pronounced is in the diversification of focus groups. Real-time and asynchronous focus groups are distinctly different, but based on the same principle of group discussion. Here's a summary of the biggest differences:

Real-Time Focus Groups - take place in a live environment, lasting on average between 60 - 90 minutes. This form of focus group can be facilitated by video or conversational chat-based methodologies. The role of the moderator is to steer live discussions and strike a balance between required answers and natural conversation. Real-time focus groups can take place as a standalone research method, or as one stage in a multi-method project (often following survey analysis).

Asynchronous Focus Groups - akin to a bulletin board, these focus groups take on an appearance similar to that of a forum. They typically last anywhere between 3 days - 6 weeks and questions are scheduled for release over that period. Moderators encourage participants to take their time and provide well-reasoned responses, in addition to commenting on the responses of others to further the conversation. Stimuli and other activities may be released throughout the course of the question board. Such focus groups can be used as a standalone research method or often concurrently as part of a multi-method project.

Both examples of real-time focus groups, the choice presented here is in the format of data collected. However there are implications for participant engagement, analysis and reporting too.

Video focus groups use webcams so that participants can see each other and provide spoken answers to questions. These sessions are typically recorded and clips of insightful moments can be edited together after the focus group has closed in order to create engaging video reports. With expert moderation, these groups are capable of replicating the in-person experience and can provide significant amounts of supporting sentiment data through facial expressions and tone of voice, along with spoken feedback.

Conversational chat-based focus groups still provide a live, real-time environment - but use an instant messenger style interface for participants to type responses. This form of focus group is less reliant on participants' technical set up and internet stability, but trades off the additional context provided by facial expressions and tone of voice. A key benefit of this option is anonymity, which can provide an important degree of separation when discussing sensitive personal, social or political topics.

There are a lot of factors that will influence the success of an online focus group. So many that it can feel overwhelming. These are the ones that will have the biggest impact:

People - Choose a number of participants that is manageable. For video focus groups, we recommend between 4-6. For conversational chat-based groups, we recommend up to 12. Also, consider the homogeneity of participants. Groups with commonalities, such as members of the same market segment, provide the best results. If you need to research multiple groups, consider one session per group.

Discussion Topic & Guide - Successful focus groups are structured around a well-defined topic, such as a product, process or behaviour. A concise, easy-to-follow topic guide to support the moderator can also be hugely influential in guiding discussions.

Activities and Tools - Don't rely on questions and answers alone. Individual and group activities can provide some of the most valuable insights and resulting discussions. This can include tools built into the platform, such as polls or smartboard markups. It can also cover the use of stimuli and projective techniques - e.g., sentence completion, analogies, role playing exercises and more.