Matrix Partners added web-enabled consumer focus group capabilities to its marketing services portfolio.
The Matrix team discovered that the new research tool offers other advantages for marketers versus traditional face-to-face sessions; pet owners are more comfortable attending a virtual focus session, which gives them permission to express their opinions more freely; session participants can be recruited from multiple metro areas across the U.S., revealing regional differences in purchase behavior so that market-specific tactics can be devised; stimuli for group discussion, such as options for a new package or logo design, can be more easily evaluated on-screen than in a conference room; and clients can attend these Zoom-like sessions without traveling to a distant focus group facility and get questions answered in real time.
“When you consider the savings in logistics and travel time for clients,“ said Don Tomala, managing partner, “virtual focus group research is a very cost-effective way to shed light on what consumers expect from your brand, and why.”
In addition to serving as the moderator for every session, Tomala leads a multi-disciplined Matrix team of pet product marketing experts and award–winning designers. Brands that have worked with Matrix Partners to help improve their performance include Stella & Chewy’s, Swheat Scoop, Coastal Pet Products, Company of Animals and more. Matrix Partners has conducted over 200 pet owner focus sessions for both consumable and durable pet product brands.
