The Focus GroupMR service is an updated version of the company’s existing live text chat tool, which now supports video qual.

Groups of up to four participants can take part in live video research, while stakeholders can watch sessions from a virtual ‘observation room’ that includes a private chat function. The tool can also still be used for text-based research.

Paul Hudson, chief executive, FlexMR, said: “FlexMR has always had long term ambitions to include video in our real-time focus group offering. As we’ve witnessed the global pandemic force many qualitative projects online, we realised the urgent need to do something now.”

Paul Hurst, software developer at the company, added: “Consumers are becoming increasingly used to and confident in using video chat during the lockdown. Now is a great time for companies to use video to find out what consumers want and need both at the moment and in the more normal times to come.”