Everyone has an opinion, but most people don’t realise how valuable that opinion is. Pretty much every company that you can think of wants to make sure their products and services are as appealing to consumers as possible, and they use paid market research to do this. Whilst focus groups are the best-known method for this, there are other options such as online communities, online focus groups, and online surveys, which allow you to take part in a studies with varying amounts of commitment, all from the comfort of your own home.
For those who like a more hands-on approach, you could attend an in-person focus group and meet some like-minded people, or even take part in ethnographic research, where you will be observed in your natural environment. If you’re new to market research, this might all feel a little alien and overwhelming, so we asked some of our previous participants to tell us a bit about what they had learnt from taking part.
“It was very enjoyable and I hope I am considered for more in the future. It helps you gain experience of the research that companies do, showing that they do care about their customer’s thoughts.”
“It’s great to share your opinions about products or services that can help them to improve in the future.”
“You can do it from home, meaning you can also look after your family. It calls on a common sense, normal experience of life and the researcher I met was very pleasant and easy to talk to online.”
“It’s a group gathering where people from different backgrounds give their true opinion about how they feel and think about the topic in a very friendly atmosphere. You learn a lot of new things and how to change them for the better. There are all sorts of topics, like travel, technology, cars, the government, services and more, and you don’t have to be an expert on the subject.”
“Apart from the incentives, which is what could attract many, the knowing that you played a part in changing things and helped develop a product or idea is the biggest reward. I would not recommend participating in market research to anyone who is only interested in the incentives. Any person that I recommend it to must genuinely want to give their opinions in order to help a company develop something or get some answers to a particular problem.”
Market research doesn’t suit everyone, but hearing about other people’s experiences can remove the fear of the unknown and appreciate that there are big benefits to be had from trying it out, apart from the obvious financial ones. If you’re interested in trying something new and taking part in paid marketing research you can sign up to the Angelfish Opinions panel and get involved.
