Online community market research agency
A market research online community (MROC) may be set up for multiple purposes, and the community may remain active for weeks, months or even years. We are able to maintain up-to-date customers profiles and provide incentivisation for long-term participation. Typically, participants are users or potential users of the client’s products and services.
20+ MROC projects completed
MROCs run in 10+ countries
500+ MROC participants recruited
Why MROCs?
Why should you conduct online community research?
Conducting online community market research allows organisations to build ongoing, meaningful relationships with customers or professionals while gathering rich, real-time insights. By engaging a pre-recruited community, research can be conducted faster and more cost-effectively than project-by-project recruitment.
Online communities support a wide range of methods, from quick polls to in-depth discussions, enabling longitudinal insights over time. They encourage participation, idea generation, and honest feedback, while tracking evolving needs, behaviours, and trends. This continuous dialogue helps improve products, refine marketing strategies, support innovation, and strengthen long-term relationships with audiences.
Depending on the time, budget, and information requirements of client, this approach is highly customisable. We can set up MROCs comprising any number of participants from a handful to several hundred. We also provide a top-up recruitment service for existing MROCs.
MROC clients
Selected market research online community clients
FieldworkHub has recruited online communities for some of the world’s leading brands...
Types of MROC
What are the different types of market research online community (MROC)?
MROCs can be used for a variety of different purposes. Here are some of the common use cases.
Customer MROCs
Long-term communities established by brands to engage with their customers continuously and obtain feedback on a regular basis.
Competitor MROCs
Communities established to gain insights from potential customers rather than current customers, for example to learn what a brand should do differently to win them over.
Customer advisory panels
Communities of customers who provide regular feedback on products, services, and marketing strategies, helping companies align their offerings with customer needs.
Innovation MROCs
Focused on co-creation and idea generation, these communities involve participants in the development of new products, services, or marketing concepts.
Support MROCs
Designed to gather insights on customer support and service experiences, support MROCs help companies improve their customer service strategies.
Segment-specific communities
Targeted at specific customer segments (e.g. millennials, parents, tech enthusiasts), these communities gather insights relating to the needs of particular groups.
Case studies
Case studies of MROC research
We are experts in recruiting participants for MROCs in the UK, Europe and beyond. We have successfully recruited for more than 20 market research online communities. Here is a small selection of our previous MROC research.
MROC: mental health, disease, climate change staff
A leading health research charitable foundation which focuses on climate change, infectious diseases and mental health, asked us to help run an 10-month online community to draw together professionals, students and campaigners in Brussels.
MROC: operator-supplied smartphone content, USA
A US cellular operator developed a special “infotainment” page for its smartphone users and wanted to gather customer feedback via an online platform. We recruited over 30 participants and validated their smartphone model, as well as their ability to access the page.
Online community: sending payments to Africa, South Asia
A South African payment platform wanted to talk to consumers in the UK who regularly send remittances to Africa and South Asia about the features that they expect and need from these platforms. We used our panel to recruit over 50 candidates and screened in a final 12 participants using an online questionnaire.
Client testimonials
Testimonials from MROC clients
Here’s what some of our previous clients for market research online communities say about us.
We reached out to FieldworkHub after another firm told us they were not able to keep their commitment. Not only did Caroline respond to my email almost immediately, she picked up the phone and talked to me about my needs. Her team was super responsive and flexible, getting our work completed on time and budget. I highly recommend working with them and will absolutely be reaching out the next time I am conducting work in Europe.
Laura
Senior Director
Research Strategy
USA
We wanted to say a huge thanks for your help with our study! It was very smooth and easy to work with you and the respondents you recruited gave really amazing reflective responses that helped shape our insights and learnings on the project.
Rakshita
Innovation Consultant
UK
Got questions?
Frequently Asked Questions
As consultants in the research space, we’ve got the answers to your questions about facilitating online research communities. And if there’s anything left unanswered, drop us an email or give the team a call. We’d be happy to help.
1
How are participants recruited for MROCs?
MROC participants can be recruited through social media, email, and online ads; or if you are setting up a MROC for your customers, it may be possible to recruit them using a customer list. To encourage people to sign up, you may wish to consider offering some form of reward for joining, or for completing an initial onboarding questionnaire.
2
What are some best practices for managing MROCs?
To run an effective MROC, you need to engage with your members on a regular basis, vary the types of assignments that are offered to your community and ensure that incentives are paid promptly when assignments are completed (note that MRS guidelines state that incentives should not take the form of client goods or services, or vouchers to purchase client goods or services). It’s also important to maintain the size of an MROC by replacing lapsed participant on a regular basis.
3
How do online communities benefit market research?
MROCs can provide real-time insights into customer preferences. They can reduce research costs, and enhance participant engagement due to proactive and engaged research participants. They provide platforms for in-depth qualitative and quantitative research, enabling businesses to quickly adapt to market trends and changes in consumer behaviour.
Ready to elevate your MROC research with professional fieldwork services?
Contact our fieldwork specialists to discuss how our comprehensive MROC services can deliver the authentic insights your business needs.
