Moms of young children, particularly working moms, or women who are caring for spouses or elderly parents, are some of the consumer groups most in need of help from manufacturers. They are the extremely time starved and often pulled in many directions with competing priorities. Focus groups are often a respite for some women who make the time to get away and be in a quiet space to express her opinions.
- Treat her well. Make the space comfortable. Have healthy snacks and drink options. Start the group on time and most of all, finish on time. Keep the group small - 6 is ideal and 8 is the limit. That way, more moms can talk more deeply about an issue which is often calming and healing.
- Don't rely on memory. Moms are not forgetful, but they have too much going on to remember how or why they made a purchase decision. It's best to have lots of products in the room so that moms can see, touch and recall what they really think about them as well as how they shop. In a chidlren's clothing study, we brought in racks of clothes and moms shopped as if they were in the stores and even demonstrated problems with shopping carts, the distance of the bathrooms, how clothes are merchandised and how all of these details affect their shopping attitudes and behaviors.
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