The Benefits and Limitations of Intercept Interviews

The quality of data collected is the primary factor dictating the outcomes of a research. It is crucial that data collection is done using accurate and reliable methods that accurately capture the responses of the target sample. Intercept interview is an on-site research method, where the respondents are intercepted or interviewed while they are shopping or testing out products and services. Although intercept interviews allow companies to get instant and accurate feedback on their products and services, many organizations shy away from the option regarding it as costly and cumbersome, which is not entirely true. In this blog, we discuss the benefits and limitations of intercept interviews as a market research tool.

Benefits

• Get Immediate Feedback: Intercept interviews help researchers gather information fresh in the memory of the respondents. This enhances the accuracy and richness of the recorded responses.
• Cover Diverse Audiences: Intercept interviews allow the researcher to capture feedback from different segments of target customers. As a result, there is a reduction in sampling bias. 
• Reduces non-responses: Intercept interviews help increase engagement and responses. Traditional methods of interviews, such as email or face-to-face are time consuming and rely on taking supplementary information from the respondents, which can discourage the respondents from completing a survey. This results in a low response rate. Intercept interviews, on the other hand, drive active participation of the respondents.
• Versatile: Intercept interviews can be conducted at various locations, during different times of the day. You can also decide the points of interaction of the consumer with your product/service, where you would like to intercept and ask questions. This allows for more detailed responses.

Limitations

• Intrusive: Intercept interviews can come across as intrusive to some participants, which may discourage them from participating or returning to the store again.
• Time-consuming: As intercept interviews are generally used to capture responses from a diverse audience, they can include many questions and steps, which can make the entire process time-consuming.
• Need Quality Control: As intercept surveys interrupt user interaction with the products and shopping experience, there are chances that the respondents may pick only the extreme opinions, which may skew the results.

Conclusion

Despite the limitations, intercept interviews can be a remarkably effective market research tool for businesses looking for accurate consumer feedback, and leverage the findings to make timely upgrades to their products and services. Having said that, intercept surveys must be designed keeping in mind various factors, such as the nature and preferences of the target audience, survey duration, intent of research, types of questions, and availability of resources. If you are looking for a market research expert that can do it for you, the search ends at Unimrkt Research. Talk to us for a no-obligation consultation, and learn how we can put your business on a path of accelerated growth. Simply call +1-646-712-9302 (US) or +91 124 424 5210 (India), or write to us at sales@unimrkt.com. You can also fill out our contact form, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.