Market research online communities are private, digital research environments that allow brands to engage directly with their target audiences over time. These online market research communities enable real-time discussion, concept testing, behavioral exploration, and ongoing feedback in a natural digital setting.

Often referred to as MROCs (Market Research Online Communities), these programs give research teams continuous access to authentic insights that go far beyond one-off surveys or focus groups. At Touchstone Research, we help brands design, recruit for, and manage market research online communities tailored to their strategic goals.

What Is a Market Research Online Community?

A market research online community is a dedicated digital space where selected participants engage with a brand or research team over time. Unlike one-time surveys or traditional focus groups, market research online communities foster ongoing dialogue, building deeper relationships with participants while capturing longitudinal insights.

These online market research communities typically include anywhere from 100 to 5,000+ members and support a mix of qualitative and quantitative research activities, allowing brands to explore attitudes, motivations, behaviors, and reactions as they evolve.

Market research online communities are commonly used to support agile research programs, continuous learning, and faster decision-making across product development, marketing, UX, and brand strategy.

Benefits of Using Market Research Online Communities

• Real-Time, Ongoing Feedback: Market research online communities allow researchers to ask questions, share stimuli, and collect responses quickly. Whether testing ad concepts, exploring product ideas, or gathering opinions on trends, brands can pivot in real time and keep insights flowing.
• Natural, Authentic Engagement: Because participants interact in familiar online formats such as discussion boards, polls, and digital diaries, online market research communities encourage more candid and thoughtful feedback than traditional research settings.
• Longitudinal Insights: Unlike a single study, market research online communities reveal how opinions shift over weeks or months. This makes them especially valuable for concept development, brand tracking, and ongoing UX research.
• Flexible Research Methodologies: Market research online communities support a wide range of methods, including surveys and qualitative market research including in-depth interviews, video feedback, co-creation activities, and usability testing, all within a single environment.
• Cost Efficiency: By supporting multiple research activities over time, online market research communities often deliver a lower cost per insight compared to running multiple standalone studies.

Touchstone’s Approach to Online Market Research Communities

Touchstone Research specializes in designing and managing market research online communities for brands across media, technology, youth and family, education, and other industries.

Our approach includes:

• Insight Communities: Qualitative-focused communities with ongoing activities such as digital diaries, IDIs, and discussion boards
• Pop-Up Communities: Short-term market research online communities built around specific campaigns, concepts, or product tests
• Community Panels: Larger-scale online market research communities that blend qualitative and quantitative activities such as surveys, focus groups, and trackers

Each market research online community is designed to reflect your brand identity, meet your research objectives, and ensure a seamless participant experience.rience.

Why Brands Choose Touchstone for Their MROC Needs

Brands partner with Touchstone Research for market research online communities because of our proven expertise and infrastructure:

• Enterprise-Grade Technology with real-time dashboards, segmentation tools, and advanced analytics
• Rigorous Recruitment & Validation managed by our in-house team, including youth and hard-to-reach audiences
• Expert Moderation by experienced qualitative researchers trained in both adult and youth engagement
• Integrated Content Testing through proprietary tools such as Dial Tester and Secure Content Testing (SCT)
• Flexible Service Models ranging from fully managed MROCs to modular community support

Market research online communities are used across industries to support a wide range of research objectives, including:

• Ad and Content Testing over time
• Concept Co-Creation with real consumers
• Customer Journey Mapping across touchpoints
• Trend Exploration and Cultural Monitoring
• UX Feedback Loops embedded into product development cycles

Because online market research communities remain active, they allow brands to move from reactive research to continuous insight generation.

FAQs about Market Research Online Communities

Make Smarter Decisions with a Touchstone MROC

Market research online communities give brands a flexible, scalable way to stay connected to their audiences and make smarter decisions over time. With the right strategy, technology, and moderation, an MROC can become a powerful engine for continuous insight and innovation.

If you’re looking to build a custom market research online community, Touchstone Research brings the expertise, infrastructure, and flexibility to support your goals.

About the Author

Aaron Burch

CEO & Co-Founder, Touchstone Research

Aaron Burch is the CEO of Touchstone Research, where he leads a team of experts in delivering innovative, tech-forward market research solutions for global brands. With over 20 years of experience in qualitative, quantitative, and youth-focused research, Aaron has helped shape industry best practices in market research online communities & panels, data privacy, and AI-powered insights. He is a recognized leader in the research space, known for building strong client partnerships and driving continuous innovation across methodologies.