In the business world where consumer behavior changes rapidly, understanding customers' thoughts, feelings, and motivations has become the key to creating truly relevant products and services. One of the most powerful tools for gaining these deep insights is the Focus Group.
What is a Focus Group
Focus Group is a qualitative data collection process that involves gathering a group of people (usually 6–10 individuals) who share common characteristics, such as target customers, to participate in discussions, share opinions, and exchange experiences under the guidance of a moderator.
Unlike questionnaires that focus on “short answers,” conducting a Focus Group helps researchers or marketers to “listen” to customers in depth — including their emotions, hesitations, uncertainties, or even feelings that customers may not realize they have.
Why is Focus Group important for marketing and business management?
1. เข้าใจลูกค้าในระดับที่แบบสอบถามไม่สามารถให้ได้
Customers might answer a survey saying they “like the product,” but a Focus Group helps reveal why they like it or what concerns they have behind that. This kind of deep insight (Customer Insight) can be used to develop products and marketing communications more effectively.
2. ค้นพบ Pain Point ที่แท้จริง
Customers may complain about “high price,” but when digging deeper through Focus Group discussions, it may be found that it’s not just about the price, but because they “feel it’s not worth the quality,” which leads to adjusting communication strategies or developing products to better meet their needs.
3. ทดสอบแนวคิดหรือสินค้าใหม่ก่อนลงทุน
Before launching a new product or rebranding, conducting a Focus Group helps evaluate the initial reactions of the target audience, reducing investment risks—for example, testing a new brand name, logo, advertisement, or product concept.
4. เปิดโอกาสให้ “ฟังเสียงตลาด” แบบไม่กรอ
In business management, executives may be too far removed from the voice of customers. Focus Groups provide a channel for the team to truly "hear" what consumers think and feel without filtering or distortion.
5. สร้างวัฒนธรรมองค์กรที่เข้าใจลูกค้า
Having a customer-centric organizational culture starts with listening and understanding. Focus Group is one of the processes that helps embed this mindset into the team.
When to use Focus Group?
- When developing a new product.
- When sales drop and you don’t know why.
- When having multiple ideas and wanting to gather information to support decision-making
- When launching a new marketing campaign and wanting to test it before the official release
- When you want to understand your brand image from the customer’s perspective
Precautions when conducting Focus Groups
- The sample group must be “targeted” and sufficiently diverse.
- The moderator must have skills to encourage discussion and ask in-depth questions without leading.
- Avoid creating “group influence,” such as letting one person dominate the discussion so others hesitate to share their opinions.
- Focus Groups should not be used as a replacement for quantitative data but rather alongside it to gain a comprehensive perspective.
summarize
Focus Group is not just a small activity in market research but a “powerful tool” that helps executives, marketers, and business owners understand their customers on a deeper level. When combined with quantitative data and marketing strategies, it enables a business to grow steadily and truly meet customer needs.
Written by: Written by: Yossapon Plodwong
Publication Date: 09 มิถุนายน 2025
