Het gebruik van online communities als een marktonderzoekstool
In: KWALON: Tijdschrift voor Kwalitatief Onderzoek, Volume 17, Issue 2
ISSN: 1875-7324
Using online communities as a market research tool
Using online communities as a market research tool
This article describes the methodological advantages and disadvantages regarding the use of online communities as a market research tool.The advantages include the facilitation of an ethnographic approach due to the use of multiple research methods, the anonymity of a virtual environment, and the effect of unconscious thought processing. This allows for greater insights into the life worlds of consumers. Nonetheless, there are also disadvantages. The lack of body language makes the interpretation process more difficult. In addition, there is also loss of respondent interaction, especially in comparison to traditional focus group discussions.