Lb Qualitative Research

Lb Qualitative Research shares its passion for group exercises with independant consultant Daphné

2011-11-28T17:18:00.010+01:00

Organizing group events is all about energy, group chemistry and technique...
Daphné: Organizing group events is all about energy! Sometimes, group leaders say their consumer participants were dull and nothing was learned during the session. But there are no good or bad consumers! It's the energy the moderator brings to the discussion that makes all the difference. What makes a good group discussion is having an energized moderator.

Laure: But Daphné, how do you recognize whether there is energy in a given group?

Daphné: Energy is all about putting people at ease so you can come to know their perspectives and emotions! It's putting yourself into it, being approachable and likable so that people can trust you and reveal their thoughts and feelings. It's wanting to meet them, to understand what their perceptions are without reserving judgement, with all the empathy possible. And, in order to really get there, you have to attend to their well-being, get them involved in the session, reassure them about the timing, defuse any nascent tensions...

Laure: But doesn't it feel a little fake? We're inviting them into well-established facilities, we film them, we compensate them...

Daphné: Indeed, it can seem daunting for them to come to a group room or auditorium, and that's why the group presentation and the moderator's empathy plays such a crucial role to make sure he or she is in tune with the feelings and emotions of the participants.

Daphné: Beyond the energy we need to bring to the table, leading group activities also has to do with the moderator's ability to create a good group dynamic. All of the participants have to be involved and be part of this dynamic to create true synergy. When it works, the moderator could almost slip away and let them discuss the subject of the study between them.

Daphné: Finally, leading group activities is a very deliberate, organized exercise where timing must be respected, all the study materials reviewed and, most importantly, the objectives met! In order words, you have to make sure that the group helps answer the partner's questions.

Laure: So how would you describe moderating group activities in a nutshell?

Daphné: It the most fundamental part of our job! A well-moderated discussion will allow for clear and precise analysis, while a "dull" discussion, where nothing much is going on, will require more thorough and advanced analysis based less on consumer perceptions.

Daphné: In fact, moderating group discussions is a kind of magical connection we like to make in this profession of ours. Clients know how to recognize a good moderator. A moderator who knows what he's doing and does it well can be instantly recognized!

Laure: How do you see group discussions evolving over time?

Daphné: It seems that there has been a decline in the quality of how groups are being moderated in recent years. Institutes are spending less and less time to train their teams about moderating techniques, and analysis is often promoted instead. But I would argue that we cannot progress in our analyses without first improving our fieldwork. The two go together!

To learn more about our qualitative research institute, please visit our website.

Get all wrapped up in our eco-friendly packaging study

2011-10-07T15:01:00.005+02:00

What lies ahead for eco-friendly packaging? Consumers, shoppers and experts speak out

As it does each year, Lb Qualitative research is funding a research closely linked to its own work on responsible consumption. In 2011, we’re focusing on eco-friendly packaging.

The research aims to take stock of a very salient issue at stake today: how is eco-friendly packaging perceived and recognized by consumers?

In order to get a global view of the topic, we have involved both consumers and experts as part of an exploratory and shopper approach.

Indeed, we have delved into knowledge, perception and understanding of eco-friendly packaging using focus groups and consumer shoppers in store. The idea was to get to the bottom of the issue by identifying consumer reactions to eco-friendly packaging in the real world, not just in a sit-down setting.

We also held one-on-one discussions with top experts (organizations, eco-design agencies, industrial groups, etc.) to get their informed perspectives on the topic and our consumer results.

With this research, we aim to provide key tools for firms to better understand their consumers’ expectations toward eco-friendly packaging, how to best invest in such packaging and what should be avoided.

The research’s results will be available in November. It will also be presented during the Marketing, Media and Opinions Show (SEMO) at the Palais des Congrès in Paris on November 3 at 2pm in room 242A.

Lb Qualitative Research’s 5 golden rules for a successful international qualitative research

2011-09-06T01:43:00.009+02:00

Lb Qualitative Research has recently conducted several international qualitative researches in countries such as Britain, Germany, Hungary and Russia. We were able to put our expertise to work for these researches that differ somewhat from others. We share here some good practices to ensure success.

Golden rule 1: Chose trustworthy partners open to dialogue and eager to share their culture
- Follow your international network’s recommendations for good advice on the elements of your research.
- Evaluate your potential partners according to their ability to perform the research, both on the fieldwork and for the analysis, as with any other real-life project.
- Also evaluate your potential partners according to their ability to share the specifics of their country or culture (for example, by asking their opinion on the local feasibility of your project), as well as to be flexible with coordination and open to dialogue.

One more tip: Try to speak by telephone with your potential partners before making a final decision.

Get to know each other before collaborating!

Golden rule 2: Involve each one of your partners directly and guide them during the entire course of the research
- Provide a short summary explaining the objectives specific to their country.
- Allow them to participate in the planning phase and approve their local application of the proposed methodology
- Organize clear debriefs specific to the countries after the fieldwork has been done and the deliverables have been received.
- Try to acknowledge and understand the local implications of your requests and decisions for your partner.

One more tip: Use both telephone and written exchanges in order to avoid organizational and cultural misunderstandings.

Be connected and stay cool with all your partners!

Golden rule 3: Organize the research's global implementation
- Stress your project’s global context as much as possible and remain transparent about your final client’s vision
- Ensure that your partners share reference documents for all in order to ensure a global vision of how the study takes place and to determine where each one fits within its implementation (international briefing, global retro planning, contact summary, etc.)
- Specify the deliverables and propose -- without imposing -- an analytical model capable of comparing different countries without placing too many constraints on each local analysis.

One more tip: Share with your partners the events taking place in other participating countries so that they feel they are an integral part of the project and stress the characteristics specific to them!
Act like the big boss, and make them feel "part of the world"!

Golden rule 4: Get to know the local fieldwork to ensure it is valid and keep a handle on the final analysis
Make a careful decision about your own personal involvement when it comes to the local fieldworks for your international study, as they will make all the difference. There are several possible scenarios:

Ideally, travel to the fieldworks or experience them via web streaming
- Make sure the planned methodologies are executed well and by qualified individuals.
- Be attentive during interviews and about the different groups in order to understand how your participants communicate. Keep notes. You will develop your own understanding of the local circumstances that you will be able to evaluate through the analysis delivered by your partners.

… but if you are not traveling to the fieldworks, get debriefed by your partners:
- Insist on being informed about how the research is being implemented and any problems that may arise
> You may have to reorganize how the research is being conducted following pilot groups or pilot interviews
> You may have to provide new recommendations to participants in other countries.
- Take advantage of your partners’ experience to ask them how they felt about it and to better understand the notions developed by foreign consumers.

One more tip: Regardless of what your availabilities may be, tell your partners they can count on your participation.
Keep control of the research and get to know local consumers!

Golden rule 5: In the final analysis, organize the research’s contents to highlight transversal lessons and local particularities
- Organize the results transversally, identify the major common elements and obtain several global lessons.
- Obtain local analyses through an oral presentation by your partners, and link them to what you learned on the ground. Keep an open mind to local particularities.
- Test and reconsider some of your global lessons by determining how they apply to these particularities.
- Finally, keep going back and forth between global lessons and local particularities in order to refine your understanding.

One more tip: The relationship does not end when your partners submit their reports. They can also provide additional input that will make a major difference in your final analysis.
Think global, act local! Free yourself of stereotypes!

Join Lb Qualitative Research at London’s Insight Show 2011!

2011-06-27T16:22:00.010+02:00

So here we are! For the fifth year, we are part of the Insight Show, the biggest European show in the market research industry.

Since its creation, Lb Qualitative Research gets involved in international qualitative researches. We are indeed supporting United-Kingdom based research agencies and brands who want to know more about French consumers. We also manage international researches for our French clients.

Supported by major trade associations –such as MRS, AURA, AIMRI and ICG, this event is taking place in the frame of Marketing Week Live, the biggest marketing exhibition in United Kingdom.

The Insight Show is strongly expected in the market research world: in 2010, 8 people out of 10 came to visit the show in order to create new business opportunities.

This year again, we will be pleased to present our activity to the visitors of the French Pavilion sponsored by the French Trade Commission in the UK.

Come to Stand D199 and ask us any questions about the approaches we use and we will be happy to share thoughts with you on qualitative research.

We look forward to meeting you.

Lb Qualitative Research at London's Insight Show 2010

2010-07-08T11:18:00.014+02:00

Lb Qualitative Research participated in the Insight Show in London again this year, making new contacts and getting up to date on the latest developments in the industry.

With the rapid spread of globalization, the world is getting smaller and smaller. Companies no longer focus solely on domestic markets and instead constantly search for new outside partners to collaborate, innovate and improve existing products and services.

Thus, at the Insight Show on June 29 and 30, Lb Qualitative Research seized the opportunity to meet representatives of French, British but also American, German, Polish, Italian, Brazilian and Indian companies.

It was an enriching and fruitful experience. We had wonderful exchanges at our stand about innovative new ideas on how to improve qualitative research.

We also had very positive conversations with experts in other fields, such as caricaturists or a creative image database provider. Although it may initially seem like we could be no further apart in our professions, we had much to learn from one another and perhaps our future studies may deal with their fields.

The experience demonstrates the importance of staying engaged and drawing on others' achievements rather than remaining fixated on a given market. By keeping open minds, the world will open its doors to us.

Learn more about the Insight Show.

Qualitative projective techniques

2010-06-16T18:05:00.005+02:00

This week, we are presenting a few focus group or workshop exercises to help participants get off the beaten path and their traditional mindframes.

A common mistake made during group meetings is to believe that by simply gathering participants around a table, they will easily discuss their motives and attitudes toward a given subject without any type of stimulation and without pushing them to reveal what is not said.

But it is in fact quite challenging to have participants discuss their true feelings and perceptions, especially when the topic is intimate or taboo.

Indeed, some thoughts cannot be expressed through traditional techniques, and certain emotions are often overlooked when lacking the appropriate tools to make them emerge. Yet it is absolutely essential to identify and understand these emotions because they can play an important role in how participants understand a given topic.

Moving on to practical applications, here are a few of the best known projective techniques that allow the participant/consumer to indirectly present his or her opinion through "intermediaries:"

The Chinese portrait: Nothing really beats this exercise when it comes to help participants easily step out of their usual rational mindframe. Participants respond to associations completely unrelated to the topic at hand. For example, the participant is asked to describe what the product would be if it were a person, a piece of clothing or a place. A group may have equated a hydrating cream (for hands, body or face) to whipped cream when asked to describe what type of food the hydrating cream would be. The exercise here helped participants understand the product's texture.

Group collages: Participants express a notion or an opinion using photographs or illustrations in a magazine or other types of visual support that they then arrange on a piece of white paper. This technique helps express feelings and emotions using other means than language.

The narrative journal: Participants maintain a daily personal journal on the subject at hand using a free narrative style. The group can then discuss these writings. By writing without any constraints, the consumers take a step back from their rational thoughts and activate a more emotional reaction that allows them to reveal in a more meaningful way how they feel or relate to the topic.

Group or individual role-playing: This common and highly efficient method stimulates consumers' creativity by placing participants in someone else's (or even something's) skin and thus look at a given subject in an entirely different way. For example, in order to find new marketing ideas, participants are invited to act as a product chief responsible for launching a new product on the market. Moderators can also ask participants to imagine they are children again to help them overcome psychological barriers

A number of other projective techniques help stimulate participants' creativity. They may not be the answer to everything when it comes to moderating a group, and should be used wisely. It is recommended to analyze the techniques to make sure they are pertinent to the subject at hand. To learn more, click here.

Notetaking, a key qualitative research tool

2010-05-13T10:15:00.003+02:00

Note-taking gains little recognition and yet it is used in many different social sciences, such as psychology, sociology and qualitative research.

It consists in transcribing or summarizing what participants said as accurately as possible in focus groups, one-on-one interviews or workshops. Notetaking both collects information and serves as the basis for future analysis. It is also an efficient alternative to the lengthy process of transcribing entire conversations.

Notetaking thus helps save time and choose important ideas in any given field of study. The note taker must be attentive, efficient, concentrated and able to analyze in order to prioritize incoming information. Through time and experience, codes, abbreviations and organization set in and help facilitate the exercise, as well as make it more comprehensive and improve its quality.

Good notetaking usually requires the note taker to work closely with the group leader or moderator. The moderator repeats key exchanges out loud and pays close attention to whether the note taker is struggling to keep up. In some cases, the note taker must refer back to a recording if the group is very dispersed or participants speak at the same time.

You can work directly from notes to analyze the discussion or prepare the groundwork for another exercise, which helps gain perspective, especially in the beginning.

Notetaking is essential for qualitative research but it also presents challenges that may not be initially obvious. But as soon as the technique is mastered, it facilitates any future analysis.

Good notetaking ensures faster and more relevant analysis!

But remember this: a good note taker is rare. If you are one of those lucky few, then don’t hesitate to contact us.

Shopper studies through the eyes of an expert

2010-04-25T19:20:00.002+02:00

Lb Qualitative Research is always seeking new solutions to conduct high quality studies and better respond to the needs of our clients.

Julie, an expert with whom we maintain close ties, here provides valuable insight on shopper studies, which help understand a buyer’s decisions at a given store.

Lb QR: First of all, how would you define a shopper study?
Julie: A shopper study is either qualitative or quantitative or both, and it focuses on the impact a given store’s location has on consumer behavior. Indeed, it has been shown that customers do not make purchases in the same way nor sometimes buy the same products in different distribution networks, be they a hypermarket (superstore), a supermarket, a discount store, a neighborhood store or a minimarket. They also look at specialized networks, such as selective stores, department stores, big brand stores, do-it-yourself stores, etc.

Lb QR: When should you consider using a shopper study?
Julie: It’s always key to reflect on strategies about where to place a new product in order to allow consumers to find it easily. It is also recommended to conduct this type of study for a global category of products in order to optimize sales and encourage the consumer to explore the offer. At times, it is also recommended to conduct such studies for a global category of products in order to optimize sales and encourage consumers to explore the offer.

Lb QR: What do you need to conduct a good shopper study?
Julie: It is key to observe the behavior of consumers who buy the product at a given sale site in order to understand how the product is found, chosen and purchased. It is also important to explore consumer perceptions of offers on store shelves or in store sections.

Lb QR: What pitfalls should be avoided?
Julie: First of all, you should not assume that a product will automatically be noticed on a shelf or in a store section thanks to good packaging alone. The sequencing of sections is key for the consumer to notice and understand the offer. Secondly, don't assume shopper-consumers will take the time to spot products in a store section or on a shelf because in fact, consumers are spending less and less time and enjoying the act of shopping less during these tough economic times.

Lb QR: Lastly, what are your thoughts on the future of shopper studies?
Julie: Category managers are making a big comeback among announcers and distributors because it is increasingly important to set up a sale site well in order to succeed when budgets are tight in times like these. I also think that expanding the number of private labels will reduce the number of actors in store sections or shelves. Implementation plans will then play a key role for the future of national brands. So shopper studies should enjoy much success in the years to come.

Lb QR: Thank you very much for your time.

Lb QR can perform shopper studies on demand with this top expert.

Conceptual tests in qualitative studies… To launch or not to launch a concept?

2010-04-14T12:23:00.021+02:00

The concept test is an extensively used approach in qualitative research. It namely presents new product or service concepts to consumers before their launch, and allows to gauge how consumers respond to these products or services and thus avoid their market failure. Indeed, if the product or service fails to garner enough enthusiasm, there is ample time to increase its attractiveness for target consumers.

In most cases, concept tests take place through focus groups. But they can also be administered on an individual basis or through online forums. Qualitative studies provide different means to conduct these concept tests.

If the client proposes a smaller amount of ideas – three or four – among which major trends with a high likelihood of success have already been chosen, a monadic approach is used that presents concepts consecutively in orders depending on the groups.

If the client proposes a greater number of ideas and has not yet identified a major trend, a comparative approach is used where all concepts are presented at the same time without a set order.

The first method allows to deal with each idea separately, while the second one allows to compare concepts and organize them from the most to the least appreciated. Sometimes, the client can propose only one concept, in which case it is examined in depth.

During the concept test, consumers are asked to make spontaneous positive and negative associations, share their understanding of the concept, estimate the product or service’s benefits and image. They are then asked to try to improve the product or service. The questions are adapted to the client’s needs.

The concept test is often used at the end of work with a group, after an exploratory phase to better understand the goals of the study.

Concept test analysis aims chiefly to provide a clear response to the client about the consequences of launching a product or service, as well as any possible improvements.

Lb Qualitative Research is experienced in concept tests for both products and services. Over the past three months, we have completed three projects to implement concept tests. We also have a range of methods adapted to each individual case. And we provide the client with relevant results to answer that ever so elusive question: to launch or not to launch?

Joins us at the Insight Show in London at Stand 203 June 29-30!

2010-04-11T15:02:00.010+02:00

The Insight Show is Europe's largest research exhibition welcoming thousands of buyers, users and commissioners of market research. Visitors get inspiration and new ideas from the leading suppliers of insight technologies and market research solutions.

Insight is supported by major trade associations, such as MRS, AURA, AIMRI and ICG. This event takes place during Marketing Week Live, the largest marketing event in the United Kingdom.

It was particularly successful last year: more than three quarters of decision makers for research solutions met thousands of research specialists and marketer researchers, and some even expected to place orders.

During this year's Insight Show, just like last year, we will have the pleasure to present our work to visitors of the Ubifrance French Pavilion, which is sponsored by the French Trade Commission in the UK.

Come to Stand 203 and ask us any questions about the methods we use in our projects and we will be delighted to exchange thoughts with you on qualitative research.

By observing solutions applied in the UK and in Anglo-Saxon institutions, we will be able to immediately implement new ideas that could prove particularly useful to improve our know-how and expand our firm so that we can always respond better to our clients today and tomorrow.

Check out the Insight Show website here.