An E-Community, also called a bulletin board or e-group, gathers large groups of respondents, traditionally 20 or more, on a discussion platform specifically developed for market research. Recruited participants connect to an online platform for 15 to 30 minutes per day, traditionally for 5 consecutive days at a time of their choosing. Respondents enter the platform to answer the moderator’s posted questions and share with other participants. Clients can also connect to the forum anonymously and interact with respondents via the moderator.
The online platform integrates many useful options such as digital content uploads, “flash” mini-surveys, and more. Experience shows that e-groups are efficacious to collect a large quantity of quality insights. One of the unique advantages of an e-group over a focus group is that respondents from different countries who can read and write in English, can gather on the same platform, even if they do not possess possess the proficiency to participate verbally.
