South Korea is a country in East Asia occupying the southern half of the Korean Peninsula. Just over two thirds of the country is considered to be mountainous, therefore the country’s population mainly resides in the lowland areas, where the population density is quite high.
The capital city, Seoul, is the seat of the government and the nation’s primary business hub and cultural hub. Most face-to-face market research takes place in Seoul. While it is generally easier to conduct focus groups in Korea than it is in Japan, most Koreans are still very respectful of age and social seniority so the composition of groups should be considered carefully, and one-on-one interviews may provide more information on B2B topics. Although most Koreans study English at school, they are generally much more comfortable participating in market research in their native language.
Korea’s economic success is a relatively new development, moving from a divided nation with limited resources to a globally connected leader in technological advancement in just a few decades. The country’s GDP more than tripled from $504.6 billion in 2001 to $1,646.3 billion in 2019.
The largest segment of Korea’s economy lies in services, with the tourism sector a notable growing area. The recent popularity of cultural exports such as K-pop and K-drama are a global phenomenon, known as Hallyu (‘The Korean Wave’), also contributing towards this figure. Major industries contributing towards Korea’s GDP include a robust manufacturing sector, particularly in semiconductors, automobiles and shipbuilding.
South Korea is one of the most advanced telecommunications markets globally and is home to global tech companies such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai. The Korean government is currently promoting AI and digital solutions being developed through the Digital New Deal. Recent success stories include the development of 6G mobile.
Korea Standard Time UTC +9
Focus groups allow participants to combine experiences and perspectives to explore ideas in depth. Commonly used during creative and conceptual development, they help you understand your customers’ needs, perceptions, and beliefs.
In-depth interviews (IDIs), where a moderator interviews a single respondent, can be conducted face-to-face, online, or over the phone. They are ideal for B2B research and for exploring delicate subjects with consumers and hard-to-reach groups.
Ethnographic research is a qualitative research method in which the researchers observe participants using a product or service, or carrying out other activities, in their own environment, typically at work or at home.
An online bulletin board (OBB) is an online forum for qualitative market research that enables participants to log into to carry out research tasks or reply to questions asked by a moderator at their own pace, typically over a period of a few days.
A market research online community (MROC) is similar to an online bulletin board (OBB). However, unlike an OBB, on online community may be used to serve multiple purposes, and the community may remain active for weeks, months or even years.
User experience (UX) testing is a qualitative research methodology which involves directly observing and interviewing a participant using a product or service. It is widely used for testing new versions of apps and websites before they are launched.
Customer experience (CX) testing evaluates how customers interact with a product, service, or digital platform. It helps identify usability issues and overall satisfaction to improve the customer journey and ensure a smooth and enjoyable experience.
A video survey is a type of unmoderated qualitative research in which survey takers respond to a series of instructions or questions by making short videos using their smartphone, either in ‘selfie’ mode or to record an activity.
Vox pop research involves making recordings of people, usually members of the public, responding to questions. These clips are often used in research to illustrate public opinion on widely known topics, brands, or products.
Online surveys are a cost-effective research method with great flexibility in design. Automated data handling allows the results to be available quickly and many online surveys can be completed on smartphones, helping to improve the response rate.
CATI (computer-assisted telephone interviewing) leverages technology to reach those who aren’t online. CATI interviews follow an electronic script with built in routing and type in the respondent’s answers to each question as the interview proceeds.
CAPI (computer-assisted personal interviewing) is a form of face-to-face interviewing where the interviewer reads the survey questions from a tablet device and inputs the respondent’s answers directly to the device.
A technology company that operates an online content and advertising platform was proposing to make some changes to the way it interacts with key accounts. We recruited senior brand managers working for major online advertisers and senior advertising agency executives working for brands that advertise online.
Our client was assisting a major online video streaming service which wanted to refine and test the way it communicated an important service change to subscribers. We recruited 12 recent subscribers and 12 tenured subscribers in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Korea and the UK.
We recruited 52 respondents from South Korea and the UK who use a globally popular video sharing platform (on their smartphone, laptop or other device) for online IDIs. The client wanted to hear from both core users and casual users with the aim of making the platform more engaging to casual users.
A global technology company wanted to obtain views of informed members of the public and people with a professional interest in a public policy topic relating to their sector. In each country we organised two focus groups in a viewing facility with opinion elites and four interviews with informed administrators.
We were asked to recruit respondents in Japan and Korea for an Online Bulletin Board. Respondents needed to be Android users and explore new apps and games on their phone frequently. We successfully recruited respondents, despite the difficulty of finding people who could commit to this lengthy project.
We recruited short-form video creators aged 14-17 years and 18-24 years in India, Spain and South Korea to answer a series of video surveys in a project for a major online video sharing platform. For the older age group, we ensured that all participants had at least 1000 followers on their primary platform.
