Online communities — sometimes also called 'insight communities' — are a form of qualitative research that refers to all forms of qualitative research conducted online or on a mobile platform. These communities can include techniques such as online diaries, blogs, shopper missions and ethnography. They function by using a social media-style platform for consumers to 'chat' and interact. The purpose of an insight community is to secure actionable insights from customer feedback and ideas to drive business decisions.
The community is usually conducted with a specific group of consumers or customers who provide a longer form of insight outcome than can be achieved with focus groups or in-depth interviews. This allows for a deeper exploration and discovery of key drivers of behaviour and attitudes with respondents over the course of a week, a fortnight, or even months-long engagements. It can involve quick real-time responses or longer in-depth research, and can be short or long term — hours to weeks or months. Online or insight communities can be used as a sole method or as part of a multi-method data-gathering approach.
The online community is conducted on a specific purpose-built platform and is a form of closed community or private online environment. Participants must be invited, and they are incentivised to engage and participate in a brand's research-related activities on an ongoing basis. There are four key elements that define how a market research online community operates:
Communities can include a group of 30 respondents, though much larger branded communities exist. For qualitative research purposes, Ruby Cha Cha recommends maximum segments of 30 customers to maintain depth and quality of engagement.
There are many online platforms available — from quite basic to highly sophisticated capabilities. These environments are private and secure, which allows products and campaigns to be evaluated within the community prior to revealing them to the public.
Communities can handle a variety of qualitative and quantitative uses — general voice of customer (VOC) work, customer journey mapping, concept testing, new product development, ethnographic research, UX testing, and in-home placement testing.
Because communities are now so agile, clients can get to decisions faster — or with deeper insight and empathy — in a much more efficient manner. Real-time responses and ongoing dialogue accelerate the path from insight to action.
You need to give respondents time to consider and/or reflect on their experiences before responding.
You want to include shopper missions or some form of consumer mission or real-world experience.
You have a geographically spread sample that can't commit to being physically available all at the same time.
You want to capture pictures and videos in-the-moment as consumers go about their lives.
You need to track shifting attitudes and behaviours over time — from a week to several months.
You need to give respondents time and space to reflect, look at issues from another angle, discuss and come up with answers or solutions.
You need a balance between the individual's story and group reactions and dynamics.
The topic is extremely personal and/or complex — respondents might struggle to express themselves well under the pressure of a face-to-face environment.
If you have questions about using a market research online community for your company — or how insight communities can help you deliver more value to your customers — we'd love to hear from you.
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