A focus group is a gathering of six to ten people who are invited to spend few hours with a skilled moderator in order to discuss a product, service, organization, or any other marketing entity. Although focus groups are used for a variety of purposes, they can be used to help generate new business ideas. The moderator needs to be objective, knowledgeable, and skilled in group dynamics. Participants are normally offered some gifts or incentives for attending the meeting. The meeting is typically held in pleasant surroundings, and refreshments are served.
Focus groups typically involve a group of people who are familiar with a topic, are brought together to respond to questions, and shed light on an issue through the give and take nature of a group discussion. Focus groups usually work best as follow-up to brainstorming, when the general idea for a business has been formulated.
Focus group is a qualitative methodology that attempts to collect in depth information from a small number of participants.