Online, mobile and hybrid qualitative market research combines methodologies from both in-person and online data-gathering approaches to create custom research design.

Companies use this type of research to glean important information about consumers and consumer behavior. Often companies want to know:

• How are potential customers as well as loyal customers going to react to a new product or service?
• How will customers react to specific marketing messages and concepts?
• Why is a part of our portfolio underperforming?
• Why are we losing customers?
• Should we acquire a brand or service in another market?

New concepts for products or services benefit from feedback from potential consumers before they are rolled out before the public. Often research helps bring to life consumer thoughts and feelings around a company's brand or ideas and the category in general. If a company wants to move into a new market, or expand within an existing market, it needs to understand how consumers are likely to react to the growth, move or change. 

In short, companies want to know more about why consumers are doing what they're doing or buying what they're buying or behaving how they're behaving.  More importantly, companies need to know what their customers need, feel, want, miss or dream about. Online, mobile and hybrid research projects allow companies to observe consumers and their responses on a day-to-day basis.

• If online research is being performed, consumers typically log into a website. These websites can be the portal to a bulletin discussion board, an online diary or a webcam-enabled focus group. If the research is asynchronous, they are able to complete research assignments in the comfort of their own home answering questions on their own time.  If it is synchronous, they are able to "meet" a group of fellow participants online via webcams without needing to find their way to a traditional focus group facility.  With online research, companies can get a national sample with a smaller number of research sessions since participants can log in from all over the country, representing different markets.  Client teams can benefit as well, also being able to log on and observe the research sessions from multiple locations.

• If mobile research is being performed, consumers participate on their mobile device. They are out in their own environments answering questions, taking photos and videos on their mobile device.  One of the benefits of mobile research is that it gives companies the opportunity to catch consumer feedback in real time and in real situations.  In face-to-face research, consumers come into a central facility to remember and report their behaviors and habits.  With mobile, consumers can give feedback at the time they're making a purchase or encountering a situation in life that the company wants to better understand. 
  

• Hybrid research is just that: some combination of traditional, online and mobile research methodologies.  These studies are built based on the specific project objectives and use the best of all methodologies.