Many companies decide they want to create paid market research to gain a stronger understanding of how consumers feel about their companies. In order to generate accurate information, businesses need to develop their online focus groups in an organized and cohesive way. Haphazardly sending out a series of questions can lead to a lack of participation. One of the major pitfalls that occurs is the collection of inaccurate data. Some people start the survey with good intentions but grow bored with it along the way. Others just want to earn the incentive, so they click random errors. Calculating the standard deviation and checking into how long participants in the online focus group took to complete the survey can fight these potential troubles.

Businesses also run into problems with Online Focus Groups when no one wants to participate. They can resolve this issue by letting as many people know about the surveys as possible. Sending out emails can prove helpful as can asking people to complete a short survey after they have purchased products from the site. However, in-person efforts have an effect as well. Upon checkout, cashiers can let customers know that the website for a short survey is included on the receipt. Some businesses may even want to set up kiosks that request information from people before they leave the store.

Using in-store methods to encourage people to provide online focus group feedback is smart for another reason. Individuals are often afraid to click links online or to follow ones that appear in emails, even if the email has come from a reputable source. They fear that someone has hacked the company's email, and they have trepidation that visiting the site will introduce their computer to a host of viruses. When they learn about the surveys in person, they can have a greater sense of confidence that such issues will not befall them.

Another problem is that some companies use questions that are too general. They might research questions to ask on surveys through the internet, but they should really figure out what it is they want to know from customers. Inspiration from other sources is helpful as a starting point, but not all businesses are the same. The team should sit down together to decide what the most important questions are to ask, and they should create reasonable answers from which to choose. Also, providing a space where participants can write in responses helps to cull more precise data as well.