With companies running out of new ideas, innovation is a top priority in the 21st Century. No longer can a team of marketers sit around at a board room meeting and come up with brilliant ways to sell products nobody really needs. Rather, firms are increasingly choosing to look directly to consumers to formulate how a market will respond to the release of a new product. One of these methods is the use of focus groups.
A focus group is typically comprised of a moderator and however many participants are needed. Prior research is necessary for the clarification of whatever the task may be. For example, if a company wished to release a new lawnmower, but wanted to see how people react to it first, they would use a focus group. The moderator would need to have extensive knowledge on all the parts of the lawnmower, and the features it has. He or she then explains these points to the group, who offers feedback and opinion on whether or not they would buy it, and why. Important factors to consider when forming a focus group include language barriers, control of the group, and confidentiality. See this article for more information.