CAPI Face-to-Face Interviews in France

• LABEL R&C Team
• Fieldwork & Data Collection

CAPI Fieldwork in France: How to Run Face-to-Face Tablet Interviews Well

Online panels have made surveys faster and cheaper, but they do not reach everyone, and they cannot put a product in a respondent's hands. Computer-assisted personal interviewing (CAPI) remains the method of choice when the right respondents are found in a specific place, when stimulus must be shown or tested, or when the questionnaire needs an interviewer to be answered well.

For international research agencies and brands commissioning quantitative fieldwork in France and Europe, CAPI combines the quality of a face-to-face interview with the control of a scripted, digital questionnaire. This guide explains when to use it, where it works best, and what makes face-to-face data reliable.

1) What is CAPI?

In a CAPI interview, a trained interviewer meets the respondent in person and records the answers on a tablet or laptop. The questionnaire is programmed in advance, so routing, rotations, quotas and consistency checks are applied automatically while the interview takes place. Compared with paper face-to-face interviews (PAPI), CAPI removes data entry, reduces errors and makes results available during fieldwork, not weeks later.

• Scripted questionnaire: skip logic, randomisation and quota control are handled by the software, not by the interviewer.
• Multimedia stimulus: images, videos, packaging or concept boards can be shown on screen in a controlled order.
• Real-time monitoring: completed interviews, quota progress and data quality can be checked daily.
• Field metadata: interview length, time stamps and, where appropriate, location help verify that interviews were carried out as planned.

2) When CAPI is the right choice

Face-to-face interviewing costs more per interview than an online survey, so it should be chosen for a reason. CAPI is the strongest option when:

• The moment matters: shoppers interviewed at the point of sale, just after a purchase or a store visit, remember far more accurately than in a survey days later.
• The audience is hard to reach online: some consumer groups and many professionals are under-represented or poorly profiled in online panels.
• Products must be seen or handled: packaging, prototypes, displays or printed materials are evaluated much better in person.
• The questionnaire is long or complex: an interviewer keeps the respondent engaged, clarifies questions and reduces drop-outs.
• Sample quality is a concern: meeting respondents in person removes the risk of fraudulent or duplicate online completes.

When speed and cost are the priority and the target is well covered by panels, an online survey remains the better tool. Many studies combine both: online for the main sample, CAPI for the segments online cannot reach.

3) Where CAPI works best: four fieldwork settings

• In store and at the point of sale: shopper intercepts, exit interviews, shelf and display tests, and post-purchase surveys. Store and retailer permissions must be secured before fieldwork starts.
• At trade shows and professional events: an efficient way to meet decision-makers, buyers and specialists from a given sector in one place. Interviews must be short, well targeted and coordinated with the event organiser or exhibitors.
• At home and in the street: door-to-door or street intercept interviews for consumer studies, including audiences that rarely answer online surveys.
• On business sites: interviews with professionals at their workplace, by appointment, for B2B studies where the respondent's time and environment matter.

4) B2B CAPI: what changes with professional respondents

• Appointments rather than intercepts: most B2B interviews are booked in advance, at the respondent's site or during an event.
• Verified profiles: job title, company size and decision role must be checked, not only declared. Our article on hard-to-reach B2B recruitment in France details the screening controls we use.
• Shorter, sharper questionnaires: decision-makers give time to relevant, well-structured interviews. Every question must earn its place.
• Experienced interviewers: professional respondents expect an interviewer who understands their sector vocabulary and can handle technical answers.

5) Running CAPI fieldwork in France and Europe

• In-house interviewer teams: at LABEL Research & Consulting, CAPI fieldwork is carried out by our own teams, briefed on each project, which keeps control over quality, timing and respondent experience.
• Native-language interviewing: interviews are conducted in French in France, and in the local language in other European countries, with translated questionnaires checked before fieldwork.
• GDPR and consent: personal data, photos or recordings collected on tablets require clear consent and secure data transfer, especially when results are shared with teams outside the EU.
• Calendar and access: French holiday periods, retail peaks and event dates affect both access and response. Fieldwork windows should be planned around them.
• Pilot interviews: a short pilot on the first day validates questionnaire length, routing and wording before full fieldwork.

6) How to keep face-to-face data reliable

• Interviewer briefing: every interviewer is trained on the questionnaire, the target and the stimulus before the first interview.
• Back-checks: a share of respondents is re-contacted to confirm that the interview took place and that key answers are consistent.
• Daily data checks: interview durations, straight-lining and open-ended answers are reviewed during fieldwork, not only at the end.
• Quota management: quotas are monitored in real time so that fieldwork can be redirected before the sample becomes unbalanced.

Frequently asked questions

What is CAPI in market research?
CAPI (computer-assisted personal interviewing) is a face-to-face survey method in which a trained interviewer asks the questions and records the answers on a tablet or laptop. The questionnaire is scripted, so routing, quotas and data checks are applied automatically during the interview.

When should you choose CAPI instead of an online survey?
CAPI is the better choice when the target audience is hard to reach online, when respondents must be interviewed at a specific place or moment (in store, at a trade show, on a business site), when products or materials need to be shown or handled, or when the questionnaire is long or complex and benefits from an interviewer.

Can CAPI be used for B2B research?
Yes. CAPI works well with professionals when interviews take place where they work or meet: on company sites, at trade shows and industry events, or at points of sale for retail and trade audiences. Appointments, short formats and verified screening are essential.