Market Research from Home

There are a number of fun and exciting ways to get paid to do market research from home. It seems everyone can use some extra money these days, and what better way to do this than at a personally convenient time from the comfort of home? Many people already make spending money doing market research such as completing online surveys and product testing.

Online Surveys

One of the simplest ways to earn money is by completing online surveys. From the registration to receiving rewards, the entire process is easy for anyone with a computer to take part in.

The first step is to research which online survey companies to register with. Signing up with more than one is the best way to earn rewards quickly. When completing the profiles on each website, certain personal information will be required – age, marital status, education, etc. These are important statistics for the survey companies to know so they can determine which household receives each survey.

» Sign up for online surveys in the UK!

After confirmation of registration, panelists receive survey invitations in their email inbox to complete at their leisure. If possible, these should be completed as soon as possible as the survey may close if enough other survey takers in the same demographic qualify. Many survey companies offer a type of consolation prize if a panelists fails to qualify for a particular survey, sometimes in the form of points or perhaps a sweepstakes entry.

Then, when a number of surveys have been completed and rewards points have built up in the panelist’s account, the time comes to redeem said points for cash and prizes. Often cash is paid out through PayPal, and prizes are presented in the form of electronic gift certificates. This means quicker payouts and no waiting for cheques to arrive through the postal service.

Product Testing

Another interesting type of market research at home is product testing. Occasionally companies will require individuals to take common household products and use them for a specified amount of time and then provide feedback. Often times the product tester gets to keep the product they were using (for instance an electronic item) after submitting their feedback, as well as receiving additional rewards for their time. Another type of at home testing involves the recipient receiving a handheld scanner, which they use to keep track of which groceries they buy. This can easily be done while putting food away after shopping, and after a certain amount of time the scanner is sent back in a pre-paid envelope and the user receives their compensation.

Registration is similar to that of signing up for taking online surveys. Personal information will need to be provided as the companies have specific demographics they are looking for feedback from.

» Sign up for product testing in the UK!

Working at Home

Doing market research at home has many benefits, the biggest being that each respondent can choose their own hours. One person may prefer mornings and enjoy filling out online surveys in their pajamas with a coffee in hand, while the next would rather wait until the end of the day to spend some time doing their research. When research is submitted online, it doesn’t matter what time of day it is. For instance when panelists complete surveys online, the survey is submitted right away, and points are deposited right into their personal account or perhaps a note will appear these points are pending. No need to wait for business hours!

Product testing is done throughout one’s day in their usual routine. The only difference is that the tester is asked to take notes or simply pay more attention when using the product so they can fill out a questionnaire at the end of the trial.

Working from home means there aren’t any bosses looking over shoulders or missed lunch breaks, and along with providing companies with valuable feedback that can shape future products, testers also get paid. What could be better?