Who could have imagined, back in 2019, that we were on the brink of a global pandemic that would fundamentally rewrite the rules of how we work?
Now, several years into this new world, we find ourselves in a research landscape that looks almost nothing like the one we left behind.
At m360 Research, we spend our days with research directors who are navigating this shift in real-time. We recently sat down with one of our long-standing partners to get their take on the state of the industry. The days of viewing facilities being the default are gone, replaced by a digital-first reality that has changed the pace, the price, and the very nature of how we connect with respondents.
The Reality of the Virtual Shift
The consensus is clear: central locations are not really “seeming to come back” in the qualitative space. Most in the industry have accepted that for the vast majority of projects, online research is simply more efficient.
"I would say that the central locations aren't really seeming to come back. I think everybody's kind of accepted that life is just easier, quicker, cheaper, especially online."
- A Specific Requirement: Unless a project involves physical device testing or a very specific logistical need, face-to-face research is rarely requested anymore.
- Budgetary Pressures: Clients are seeing their travel and research budgets cut, making the added expense of a central location difficult to justify.
- The Logistical Advantage: Virtual research is viewed as easier, quicker, and cheaper, especially when dealing with international markets or large countries where travel is a burden.
Combatting Digital Fatigue in Qual
Since qualitative research has moved almost entirely to virtual, the primary challenge is keeping the interaction from feeling transactional and making interviews as engaging as possible. Our partners are finding success by integrating tasks that pull respondents deeper into the conversation.
- The Power of Pre-Tasks: By adding pre-tasks to a project, moderators can pull that specific stimulus into the live interview. Instead of starting from zero, the moderator can say, “You filled it in this way in the pre-task; can you talk us through that?”. This creates an immediate, engaging anchor for discussion.
- Playing Brands Against Each Other: Traditional in-depth interviews (IDIs) are being supplemented with “duos” designed with a specific angle. For example, pairing a loyalist for a client brand against a loyalist for a competitor allows you to play them off against each other to generate interesting insights.
- Mock Consultations: To replicate the nuance of a doctor-patient interaction, some qualitative projects now utilise actors to play the role of patients in a virtual setting. While logistically challenging, it adds a layer of realism that standard interviews lack.
Agility through Iteration
Qualitative research is moving away from long, multi-month phases and toward more agile, chunked up solutions.
- Sprint Labs: This approach breaks research into multiple days on a digital platform. A respondent might see stimulus on day one, provide feedback on day two, and finish with a shorter, focused interview.
- The Benefit of Reflection: This iterative process allows clients to see multiple phases of research compressed into a single, agile timeline rather than waiting months for results.
As a fieldwork partner, we hear our clients loud and clear: in a virtual-first world, the virtual central location (VCL) day is the new high-pressure moment. That’s why we built QualStage, a virtual interview platform designed to make VCL days run smoothly, reliably, and without unnecessary stress for both teams and respondents.
"One of the most high pressured things in qual is the central locations or the virtual central locations, because it's when you're completely exposed—the clients are there, they're viewing."
- Proactive Chasing: Our partners tell us that success depends on a fieldwork team that proactively manages timelines and ensures pre-tasks are completed before the interview starts.
- Going the Extra Mile: We know that when a respondent drops out in a high-pressure virtual session, the difference between a vendor and a partner is our willingness to call around and try and get somebody in last minute, even when it’s a tough ask.
As the research world continues to evolve, the shift away from central location research isn’t just a change in geography—it’s a change in the expectations researchers place on their fieldwork partners. At m360 Research, we’ve learned that ‘good enough’ recruitment is no longer the benchmark. Success now depends on a joined-up experience where the fieldwork team is just as invested in the brand as the researchers themselves. By prioritising engagement and staying proactive, we ensure that digital qualitative research remains just as impactful as the face-to-face sessions of the past.
