Online community market research agency
Online research communities help researchers build relationships with participants and explore their views over time and across topics. FieldworkHub recruits carefully screened consumers, business professionals and specialist audiences for ongoing qualitative communities in the UK, Europe and other international markets.
20+ MROC projects completed
MROCs run in 10+ countries
500+ MROC participants recruited
Why MROCs?
Why should you conduct online community research?
An online research community, sometimes called a market research online community or MROC, brings a selected group of participants together on a digital platform to take part in research over an extended period. Participants can respond to discussions, tasks, polls, diaries and other activities as the study develops.
Online research communities are especially useful when researchers want to build a deeper understanding of participants over time rather than rely on a single interview or focus group. Unlike online bulletin boards, which typically involve a defined programme of activities over a relatively short period, MROCs are designed for ongoing engagement, often covering multiple research topics. They allow researchers to revisit themes, explore emerging issues and understand how participants’ attitudes and behaviours change.
Because community members can participate from different locations and at different times, the method works well for geographically dispersed, international and harder-to-schedule audiences. It can support consumer, B2B and specialist research, including multi-market studies.
The value of an online community depends on recruiting the right members and maintaining engagement throughout the study. FieldworkHub manages participant recruitment and screening to help clients build relevant, reliable communities that can contribute useful insight over time.
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
Customer MROCs are ongoing communities established by brands to engage directly with existing customers and gather feedback over time. They help businesses understand changing needs, explore customer experiences and monitor attitudes towards their products and services as relationships develop over time.
Competitor MROCs
Competitor MROCs bring together people who currently use competing brands or services rather than those offered by the sponsoring company. They help researchers understand purchasing decisions, identify unmet needs and explore what might persuade potential customers to switch brands in a competitive marketplace.
Customer advisory panels
Customer advisory panels bring together selected customers who provide regular feedback on products, services and business decisions. They allow companies to test ideas, explore customer priorities and involve their customers in shaping future improvements and developments through regular discussions and feedback.
Innovation MROCs
Innovation MROCs focus on generating and developing new ideas through collaboration with participants. They can involve creative exercises, concept testing and co-creation activities, helping businesses explore new products, services or marketing approaches before committing to development.
Support MROCs
Support MROCs explore customers’ experiences of service and support, helping organisations understand common problems and opportunities for improvement. Participants can share feedback on customer service interactions, support channels and problem resolution, providing insights that inform better service delivery.
Segment-specific communities
Segment-specific MROCs bring together participants who share particular characteristics, interests or behaviours, such as parents, technology enthusiasts or business decision-makers. They allow researchers to explore the needs, attitudes and experiences of a defined audience in greater depth over time, including changes in their priorities.
Case studies
Case studies of MROC research
FieldworkHub recruits participants for online research communities in the UK, Europe and other international markets. We support consumer, B2B and specialist communities, including multi-day, longitudinal and multi-country studies where reliable recruitment and sustained participation are essential.
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.
4
Can you recruit participants for online research communities?
Yes. We recruit participants for online research communities across consumer, B2B and specialist audiences. Recruitment can be based on demographics, behaviours, product use, professional role, purchasing responsibility or other detailed study criteria.
All participants are screened against the agreed requirements, and recruitment can be structured to support both short-term communities and longer-running longitudinal studies.
5
What is the difference between an online research community and an online bulletin board?
Both methods allow participants to contribute online over time, but an online research community is often designed for broader or longer-term engagement with the same group of people. Bulletin boards are more commonly used for a defined study running over a shorter period.
The most appropriate format depends on the research objectives, duration, audience and how often researchers want to return to the same participants.
Planning an online research community?
Talk to our fieldwork specialists about participant recruitment and project support for short-term, longitudinal or international online research communities.
