Frequently Asked Questions

Mostly in-person survey collection and in-person focus groups with less in-depth ethnographic or in-home interviews being conducted.

Yes, in-person data collection is still generally preferred by clients in Thailand, as it is believed to offer more valid results and makes it harder for participants to fake answers.

Unfortunately, there are not many dedicated research facilities available in Thailand other than a few focus group facility providers which are often have very little availability. Most local agencies hire meeting rooms at co-working spaces, hotel conference rooms for Central Location Testing and outsource to the few third-party focus group facilities listed in the Thailand Marketing Research Directory or via Google Search for "focus group facilities bangkok" or "focus group facilities chiagmai" for example.

Local agencies typically use offline recruitment due to the limited targeting of online sample providers and lack of trust in the panel quality. Offline is also preferred for in-depth interviews and focus groups because of the low penetration of laptop and desktop computers. Participants often face technical difficulties because weak or unstable mobile or broadband internet access or lack suitable equipment or a quiet space for interviews.

Services can include project management, research instrument development, secondary research, moderation of interviews, immersion, data management, report generation (topline, summary, full), recruitment, transcription, translation, and facility/transportation.

Prices can range from 100 thousand Thai Baht to one million Thai Baht depending on the sample size for recruitment and other services required (transcription, translation, tabulating, and reporting). However, the recruitment makes up the majority of the cost of the project and is highly dependent on the incident rate in the general population and the Socio Economic Class (SEC) of the target participants.

Recruitment of general population sample groups alone can cost on average 100,000 Baht for a qualitative study with less than 20 in-depth interviews or 100 survey respondents. That's before any other services such as transcription, translation, analysis and reporting are added which can now be automated by Artificial Intelligence. Also, research agencies may quote higher costs for recruitment because of the low incident rate in the population or the highly niche target group that a panel service selling respondents cannot estimate or target for.

Cost per participant is not based on the length of the interview but rather the incident rate, profile, and complexity of the research activity or number of days of the commitment (in the case of diary studies, pre-tasks, or follow-ups). High incident rate participants can cost as little as 1,000 baht per respondent or as much as 10,000 for high-income, expert, or B2B research participants. The rate for in-home interviews is at least double the price of online interviews. Notably, some high-income, expert, or B2B profiles are not motivated to participate for money and prefer to be invited by the end-client directly.

There is no way to guarantee a perfect sample due to data privacy laws and policies as well limited verifiable information. However, there are protocols like screeners also known as screener surveys or recruitment criteria which are created by market research buyers or market research agencies to use when reaching out to potential candidates in their network, participant pool, or panel. That said, there is always a chance for fraud both by the agency and the respondents themselves because they are incentivized by money. 

Due diligence is performed to verify basic, non-sensitive demographic information such as name, age, gender, and social media presence, online platform usage which can often be confirmed through public records or platform data. Agencies may request supporting behavioral evidence like receipts or product photos, but these cannot be independently or definitively verified. Images can also be falsified.

The overall recruitment strategy relies heavily on a well-designed screener using a combination of demographic, behavioral, and communication-based questions to build confidence in the candidate's suitability, while strictly prohibiting the request or verification of highly sensitive, legally protected documents (e.g., marriage certificates, household registrations, or property deeds). This rigorous but ethical approach is a system built on methodical rigor and a necessary degree of trust.

Bangkok is chosen as the first-tier city because it is the capital and the only first-tier city in the country. For second-tier cities, those in the Northeastern (Isaan) region are typically selected because they represent the largest population segment in the country. Examples include Nakhon Sawan, Khon Kaen, and Ubon Ratchathani. While Chiang Mai is sometimes chosen as a second city in research studies due to its status as the second largest city in Thailand, it doesn't represent Thailand demographically as well as the Northeastern region does.