GutCheck!

Here is another example of how powerful the internet is for any company to get valuable information for very little cost. GutCheck is one the latest tools companies are using to hold focus groups over the internet. It allows market researchers to interview people one on one via an instant messenger platform, or do an entire group on the instant messenger platform. One of the largest challenges with focus groups is that there are always one or two people who will dominate the conversation. This tool allows market researchers to talk to everyone individually and get the most out of all of their participants. 

Another huge factor is diversity in geographic locations. Unless marketers are willing to spend the money to do focus groups across the country, the group is not very representative of the country. This could potentially skew the results of the focus group. Lastly there is costs. As the video below mentions it costs on average $700 per participant, whereas GutCheck is $40 per participant.

The only downside to this website is, the participants are actively online and willing to participate. Which means there might be a demographic/ psychographic that may be missing from this area. However, every tool has their downsides, its up to the market researcher to fill in the missing pieces with other tools!

To learn more about GutCheck check out their website at gutcheckit.com