Longitudinal Online Panels

Focus groups were the best technique available at the time; in the 1970s.

They do have their place and we do still undertake them if the situation demands it (this is normally where people need to get their hands on product or packaging amongst other people).

The limitations however outweigh the benefits.

The first enemy is geography, getting really specific recruitment means that you have to compromise on recruitment.

The second is time, 90 minutes is never really enough.

The third is that regardless how experienced the moderator is, the situation is so un-natural (and with the pressures of time) getting false reads can and do happen.

With a LOP, we get either between 10 and 20 customers, or people who behave in a very specific way to take part in an interactive online forum which lasts 5+ days. These can be anonymised if the subject matter is sensitive, and respondents answer questions in their own time, often once they have had time to consider the question properly.

Questions are posed once a day, and can be at the group, an individual or a selection.

We can share content (both ways) ask people to undertake tasks and change the course of the questioning as we learn.

Clients are encouraged to observe when they can, meaning that you are engaged in the journey with us and have a better understanding of the outputs.

These sessions are wildly more revealing and impactful than the old way, and commercially far better value (x1 LOP costs around the same as x2 groups).