Qualitative Research Recruitment? We got you covered. 

Recruiting for focus groups, in-depth interviews or group discussions? We handle participant recruitment for your qualitative research — from screener to incentive payout. On-location or remote, across Europe.

• Recruitment from a pool of 75,000+ B2C and B2B participants
• Available for research across Europe
• Includes screener, scheduling, reminders and participant payouts

In qualitative research, demographic criteria alone aren't enough — how someone expresses themselves and whether they feel comfortable in a conversation determines whether a session delivers real value. That's why we look beyond a standard screener.

• Conversational fit. Someone who fits the demographic profile isn't automatically a good fit for a 60- or 90-minute conversation about a topic. We screen for verbal articulation and willingness to elaborate — particularly relevant for in-depth interviews.
• Group dynamics for focus groups. A focus group of six reserved participants stalls quickly. We recruit with group dynamics in mind: a mix of profiles that complement rather than dominate or silence one another.
• NDA willingness. For research involving sensitive topics or pre-launch concepts, we confirm participants are willing to sign an NDA and walk them through the agreement beforehand.
• Location accessibility. For on-location research, we explicitly screen for travel time and willingness to travel. This prevents last-minute cancellations due to practical concerns.

For on-location research we partner with a network of local agencies across all key European markets. This gives you one point of contact, one invoice and one quality standard — while recruitment and facilities are handled locally by specialists who know the market.

In practice this means:

• Recruitment in the local language by teams familiar with the audience
• Local moderation by experienced researchers fluent in the language and culture — available as an optional add-on through the same partner
• Local incentive levels — these vary per country and we keep rates aligned with each market
• Local facilities — focus group rooms, observation rooms, recording equipment — arranged by the partner
• Local regulations (GDPR, including national variations such as DSGVO or RGPD) respected by all partners
• One invoice and one project team for multi-country projects, regardless of the number of countries

For markets where the audience is exceptionally specific (such as highly niche B2B profiles or rare audiences) we assess feasibility per project before quoting.

There are various ways of qualitative research methods. We have wide experience recruiting participants for these methods:

On-location focus groups

For focus groups of six to eight participants we recruit attendees who actively want to engage in group discussion. We ensure profile variety within the group and recruit one reserve per five participants by default, in case someone cancels last minute. The partner provides the focus group room with observation room, recording equipment and catering.

On-location in-depth interviews

For in-depth interviews of 30 to 90 minutes we recruit participants who feel comfortable in a 1-on-1 conversation. On-location can be at the partner's interview room, at the client's office, or at a neutral location of choice.

In-home interviews

For interviews at the participant's home we recruit attendees willing to host a researcher for a 1-on-1 conversation in their own environment. This setting works well for research where context, habits or products in daily use take centre stage. We screen in advance for living situation, availability and willingness to host the researcher at home.

In-store and mystery shopping

For research inside retail environments — observing customer behaviour, mystery shopping or accompanied store visits — we recruit participants who can be briefed beforehand and are willing to give feedback on their shopping experience. We have a dedicated mystery shopping service.

Ethnographic and in-context research

For longer observational research at the participant's home, workplace or during daily activities, we recruit participants willing to grant access to their environment. Unlike an interview, this is about observation and context — often spanning multiple hours or even sessions. This recruitment type calls for extra care in screening, NDA process and alignment on who can be present.

Mini-groups (triads and dyads)

For mini-groups of two or three participants — often used for co-creation or sensitive topics — we recruit profiles that complement each other. A useful middle ground between 1-on-1 and a full focus group.

Remote qualitative research

We also handle online focus groups, remote in-depth interviews and other qualitative methods at distance. Read more about our approach on the online research recruitment page.