Professional Research Platform
We use dedicated MROC platforms with moderation tools, multimedia task management, engagement analytics, and full participant privacy. Not Facebook. Not WhatsApp.
Qualitative Research
Online Communities in Poland
Give consumers a week to think. Watch what changes.
What Are Online Research Communities?
An online research community (MROC — Market Research Online Community) is a qualitative method in which 15–30 recruited participants interact on a private digital platform over a period of one to four weeks, completing daily tasks such as discussion threads, photo diaries, video journals, and creative exercises. The format’s defining advantage is temporal depth: unlike a focus group that captures a 90-minute snapshot, an MROC tracks how opinions, habits, and product experiences evolve over days and weeks. Fieldstat manages online communities on dedicated research platforms with daily moderation, multimedia task design, and comprehensive qualitative analysis — making MROC ideal for product development, brand strategy, trend exploration, and longitudinal consumer insight.
How Online Communities Work
How it works. We create a private, password-protected platform and invite 15–30 carefully recruited participants. Each day, the moderator publishes tasks: discussion questions, photo assignments (“show us what’s in your fridge”), video diaries (“record your morning routine”), creative exercises (“build a mood board for the ideal skincare brand”), concept evaluations, and product usage logs. Participants respond asynchronously — when it suits them — creating a rich, multimedia archive of attitudes, behaviours, and creative output.
Time as a Research Variable
Why time changes the insight. In a focus group, you capture immediate reactions. In an online community, you see how those reactions evolve with reflection, repeated use, and real-life context. A new snack might score well in a taste test — but does the consumer buy it again a week later? Does it fit into their actual daily routine? Do they share it with friends? Only a longitudinal method answers these questions. This makes MROC ideal for: new product testing (adoption curves, not just first reactions), trend exploration, customer journey tracking, diary studies, and iterative co-creation.
Digital Natives & Hard-to-Reach Audiences
Digital natives and hard-to-reach audiences. Online communities excel with respondents who are comfortable in digital environments: millennials and Gen Z, professionals with packed schedules (asynchronous participation), geographically dispersed groups, and niche communities (vegan consumers, gamers, crypto enthusiasts). The format also works beautifully for multi-country studies — run parallel communities in Poland, Germany, and the UK on the same platform.
Fieldstat MROC in Practice
Fieldstat’s MROC practice. We manage online communities on professional research platforms (not social media) with dedicated moderation, multimedia task management, engagement tracking, and comprehensive qualitative analysis. Every project includes daily moderator engagement, mid-project interim findings, and a final insight report with annotated multimedia galleries.
Market in Numbers
15–30
active participants per community
1–4 weeks
standard project duration
Async
participation — respondents engage when convenient
Multimedia
photos, videos, diaries & creative tasks
Sources: ESOMAR, GreenBook GRIT Report, Fieldstat
Online Communities vs. Other Qualitative Methods
| Method | Temporal Depth | Group Dynamic | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
Online community (MROC) |
1–4 weeks (days/weeks) |
Async group interaction |
Diaries, co-creation, product trials, trends |
Focus groups |
90–120 min (snapshot) |
Real-time group dynamic |
Concept testing, brand exploration, creative |
IDI |
45–90 min (snapshot) |
One-on-one depth |
Sensitive topics, decision journeys, B2B |
Mobile ethnography |
1–2 weeks (self-doc) |
Individual diaries |
Behaviour documentation, routine tracking |
Online focus group |
60–90 min (live) |
Real-time via video |
Fast turnaround, geographic spread |
Why Fieldstat?
Temporal Depth
Observe how attitudes evolve over days and weeks. Capture adoption curves, not just first impressions. See what sticks and what fades.
Multimedia Richness
Participants share photos, videos, voice notes, collages, and written reflections — creating a visual insight library your team can use for years.
Async = Thoughtful
Asynchronous participation means respondents have time to reflect, not just react. The quality of responses is measurably deeper than real-time methods.
Benefits
- Temporal depth — observe attitude evolution over days and weeks
- Rich multimedia output: photos, videos, diaries, mood boards, creative tasks
- Asynchronous format produces more thoughtful, reflective responses
- No geographic limitations — participants from across Poland (or multiple countries)
- Ideal for hard-to-reach audiences: digital natives, professionals, niche communities
- Iterative co-creation — test, refine, and re-test concepts with the same group
- Lower per-participant cost than traditional focus groups
- All material archived on platform — searchable, quotable, presentable
Applications
New product development and iterative concept testing
Consumer diary studies (daily habits, routines, product usage)
Trend tracking and emerging behaviour exploration
Brand perception evolution over time
Customer journey and experience documentation
Co-creation workshops and creative ideation
Multi-country comparative qualitative research
Long-term brand community building and insight generation
Implementation Process
1
Platform & Task Design
We configure the research platform, design the daily task schedule (discussions, photo/video assignments, creative exercises), and define engagement protocols.
2
Participant Recruitment
We recruit 15–30 participants matching your target profile, onboard them to the platform, and run a warm-up task to establish engagement.
3
Active Moderation
Our moderators publish tasks daily, respond to participant posts, probe for deeper insights, and keep engagement high throughout the project.
4
Interim Findings
Mid-project, we deliver a progress report highlighting emerging themes, surprising findings, and preliminary hypotheses for client feedback.
5
Final Insight Report
Comprehensive analysis with thematic coding, annotated multimedia galleries, participant personas, and strategic recommendations. All platform content archived for future reference.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many participants do I need?
A typical online community has 15–30 active participants. Larger projects (brand communities, multi-segment studies) can engage 50–100 participants.
How long does an MROC project run?
Standard projects run 1–3 weeks. Extended brand communities can operate for months. We recommend a minimum of 5 days for meaningful temporal depth.
How much does an online community cost?
Projects start from PLN 10,000 for short formats (1 week, 15 participants). Comprehensive projects (3 weeks, 30 participants, multimedia tasks) typically range PLN 25,000–50,000.
What tasks do participants perform?
Thematic discussions, photo and video diaries, creative challenges (collages, mood boards), concept evaluations, product usage logs, voting and ranking exercises, and co-creation ideation tasks.
What platform does the community use?
We use dedicated research platforms (e.g., Recollective, Over) with moderation tools, multimedia support, analytics, and participant privacy. We do not use social media — it lacks the control, privacy, and analytical capabilities required for research.
How does an MROC differ from an online focus group?
An online focus group is a single live session (60–90 min) — like a traditional FGI but via video. An MROC extends over days or weeks with asynchronous tasks. MROC captures evolution, reflection, and longitudinal behaviour; online FGI captures immediate group reaction.
Sources
MROC — Market Research Online Community (Wikipedia)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Market_research_online_communityESOMAR — Online Research Guidelines
https://esomar.org/code-and-guidelines/icc-esomar-codeGreenBook GRIT Report — Research Industry Trends
https://www.greenbook.org/grit