There is little substitute for a good round of well moderated focus groups/depth interviews to really expose what people think about your product or service. The real strength of qualitative research however is that as well as telling you what people think it also tells you why they think it, which provides the all-important understanding of their behaviour and what you can do to change it through your marketing.

Which research method to use is another whole debate and depends on the research objectives and available budget. The main options are focus groups and depth interviews conducted face-to-face, or carried out online which is usually more cost-effective and convenient for all concerned.