DATA 5013 Module 4 Focus Group Plan and Qualitative Coding Analysis Example

Discount Math and Belonging: Planning Four Bookstore Focus Groups and Coding What Readers Said

Student Name

American College of Education

DATA5013: Market Research

Module 4 Assignment

Instructor Name

May 22, 2028

Introduction

Our chain's research design called for exploratory focus groups before the member survey. Their purpose was to learn how customers think about a paid membership, which benefits matter and why, and how they would feel about changes to the free loyalty card, so that the survey in Module 3 would use customers' own language and cover what matters to them. This paper describes how the four groups were planned and run, how the transcripts were coded and what themes emerged, and explains how the findings changed the questionnaire.

Planning the Groups

Krueger and Casey (2015) recommend groups small enough for everyone to speak but large enough for a range of views, with participants who share a key characteristic so they feel comfortable. Four groups of seven to eight participants were planned. Two drew on people who had bought from us at least ten times in the last twelve months and two on lighter shoppers, with one of each held in Minneapolis and one in St. Paul. Participants were recruited at random from loyalty members within each group who had agreed to be contacted, and screened to exclude staff, their relatives and anyone in the book trade. Everyone who took part left with a gift card and an author-signed copy.

The Moderator Guide

Each 90-minute session followed a guide that moved from general to specific. It opened with an easy question about the last book each person bought and where, then asked what makes a bookstore worth visiting rather than ordering online. The membership concept was introduced without a price, and participants were asked what appealed, what did not and what was missing. Price was then introduced, with participants asked to talk through whether $45 would be worth it for them. A ranking card exercise asked each person to order the five benefits privately before discussion, so that early speakers did not sway others. The session closed by asking how a paid program would affect their feelings about the free card.

Running the Groups

Sessions were held in the evening in the event rooms of two stores, after closing, with light refreshments. An outside moderator with retail research experience led each one, since participants might soften criticism in front of store staff; I observed from the back and took notes. Participants signed consent forms explaining that sessions would be audio recorded, transcribed without names and the recordings deleted after analysis. Thirty of the 32 recruited participants attended. Transcripts totaled about 190 pages.

Coding Method

The transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis as described by Braun and Clarke (2006), which moves through six phases, from becoming familiar with the transcripts and coding them, through building, checking and naming themes, to writing up the results. Two coders, the outside moderator and I, each read all transcripts, then independently coded the first group's transcript, compared codes and agreed on a shared codebook of 24 codes, each with a definition and an example quote. Codes ranged from concrete, such as mentions of online price comparison, to evaluative, such as expressions of loyalty to staff. We then coded the remaining transcripts, with a fifth of each double-coded to check consistency.

Checking Consistency

On the double-coded passages, the two coders applied the same code to about 82 percent of text segments. Most disagreements involved two overlapping codes, saving money and getting value, which participants used almost interchangeably; after discussion, they were merged. A second disagreement concerned whether comments about local ownership described loyalty or values, and the codebook definitions were sharpened to separate them. Disagreements were resolved by discussion rather than by one coder deciding, and the changes were recorded in a coding log, so that the analysis could be traced.

Theme One: Discount Math

The most common theme, present in all four groups, was what participants called doing the math. Frequent buyers quickly calculated whether 10 percent off would cover $45 a year; several noted that they would need to spend $450 to break even, and most said they did. Occasional buyers made the same calculation and concluded it would not pay. As one participant put it, it is a deal for people who already live here and a donation for everyone else. The theme suggests that the discount alone will attract mainly customers who would buy anyway, which is exactly the cost the research must estimate.

Themes Two to Five

Four further themes emerged. Belonging: many participants, especially frequent buyers, described a membership as a way to support a local store and be part of its community, not only to save money. Events as the real draw: occasional buyers were most excited by members-only author nights, consistent with research showing that customers often prefer indulgent rewards to practical ones when a program asks something of them (Kivetz & Simonson, 2002). Fear of losing the free card: several participants assumed the free card would eventually disappear and reacted negatively. And online comparison: participants admitted checking prices online but said staff recommendations kept them coming back.

What the Findings Changed

The themes changed the survey in four ways. The concept description now states plainly that the free card will continue for everyone, addressing the fear that surfaced in every group. The benefit ranking now includes a sixth item, supporting a locally owned store, after belonging emerged as a value, not just a benefit. A new question asks how many author events the respondent attended last year, since event interest may predict joining better than spending. And the reasons-for-not-joining list now includes participants' own phrase, I would not spend enough for it to pay off, in place of the more formal wording drafted earlier.

Differences Between Groups

Comparing the groups added insight. The two frequent-buyer groups spent most of their time on discount math and belonging, and several members said they would join at $45 without hesitation, some even at $55, as long as the money stayed with a local business. The two occasional-buyer groups were cooler on the discount but warmed noticeably when author nights came up, and three participants said that two members-only evenings a year would be worth the fee on their own. The St. Paul groups mentioned the store's children's story hours more often, while the Minneapolis groups talked more about evening readings. These differences suggest that one package may not suit everyone, a possibility the survey's segment analysis can test.

Limits

Focus groups explore; they do not measure. Thirty participants cannot show how common each theme is among 41,000 members, and the people who agree to attend an evening session at a bookstore may be more engaged than average. Group discussion can also amplify views expressed early or confidently. These limits are why the themes are used to improve the survey rather than to estimate demand.

Conclusion

Four focus groups with 30 participants, coded through a systematic thematic analysis with a shared codebook and a consistency check, produced five themes: discount math, belonging, events as the real draw, fear of losing the free card and online comparison. Those themes reshaped the survey's concept, benefit list and questions. Module 5 will report the survey results and the overall recommendation.

References

Braun, V., & Clarke, V. (2006). Using thematic analysis in psychology. Qualitative Research in Psychology, 3(2), 77-101. https://doi.org/10.1191/1478088706qp063oa

Kivetz, R., & Simonson, I. (2002). Earning the right to indulge: Effort as a determinant of customer preferences toward frequency program rewards. Journal of Marketing Research, 39(2), 155-170. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.39.2.155.19084

Krueger, R. A., & Casey, M. A. (2015). Focus groups: A practical guide for applied research (5th ed.). SAGE.