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What Types Of Companies Offer Paid Surveys

Most of the companies that pay you for taking surveys online are representing businesses developing new consumer products or services. They can be manufacturers, retailers, or service providers...truly, any type of business might hire a firm to conduct market research on their behalf through the collection of paid surveys. While there might be a variety of on-site or satellite trials and surveys taking place, this article will focus on web-based surveys for pay.

Web-based surveys constructed to predict customers' buying patterns all share at least one thing in common. It is the inherent constraint existing in online testing: no one, neither the researcher nor the test subject (that's you, the online survey taker) is physically present. That limitation eliminates trials like blind taste tests, anything that requires laboratory equipment (like measuring brain activity or ability to process auditory information), or clinical trials for pharmaceuticals, which have to include medical personnel.

The paid survey work found online usually involves a lot of self-reporting. That means you might be providing a log of your spending habits in terms of a particular product (cigarettes or toothpaste, for example), testing a new product (like baby diapers, dishwashing soap, skin care products, or over-the-counter medications), giving detailed information about how often you buy supplies for a printer, vacuum cleaner, or other device, or passing on any other data you, as a person in your household who spends money, can supply on how you spend that money and what motivates you to buy.

Online Surveys Allow Businesses to See the Trees and the Forest

Businesses who hire survey companies often want to know how purchasers will respond to various types of advertising. It makes much more sense to work out any kinks from a new product design or advertising campaign before large amounts of money are spent on an irrevocable rollout.

Market research involves data not only on a micro level (pertaining to you, the individual consumer), but on a macro level (concerning what's happening in consumer markets worldwide). It is imperative to build a full picture of knowledge from both levels in order to meet the goal of consumer research, which is always to predict consumer response to a certain product or service.

Why Online Surveys are Sorely Needed Today

As you can imagine, spending habits have changed a lot - take as an example, what occurred since the rapid deleveraging of 2008, where billions of dollars existing on paper lost a great of value very quickly, and the world's money supply suddenly tightened. That series of economic events meant a great deal in the world of market research: consumers had less money to spend, and they had to make different, and more informed decisions on how to spend. Previous research from the older economy was also invalidated, but the companies producing goods and services suddenly had much more at stake with every dollar spent...so online survey companies exploded from 2008 through early 2010.

And of course, some of the millions of newly unemployed workers entered the world of paid surveys and drove wages down.

Today, the same types of studies are being conducted online, although there are fewer of them and they pay less money. As business slowly picks up worldwide, you can expect more collateral activity in the way of consumer research and more online surveys available to choose from. The future does indeed seem to be bright in the world of paid surveys online.

Global Organizations to Help Protect Online Survey Takers

Want to know the names of specific companies involved in market research, or do you have an interest in the standards the industry has established for its work? You can look on two websites that have evolved to support the market research efforts in America and in Europe:

As an introduction to the preferred business ethics that reputable survey companies must adhere to, you could not do better than to visit those two websites and read their Codes of Member Conduct.

You will also find some pointers on other unacceptable practices that flag a company as one you should not do business with. For example, CASRO has very specific guidelines on how companies must treat their survey subjects (meaning you), because, as they say, "individuals who are interviewed are the lifeblood of the Survey Research Industry." Market research cannot take place if no one participates, so CASRO and ESOMAR have established rules requiring strict protection of your personal information, for example, to make sure you want to keep adding your input.

Examples of Online Surveys Sponsored by Specific Businesses

Among companies who fund paid surveys, you'll find many familiar product manufacturers who make consumable items you use around the home, which is why so many surveys are targeted at the person who shops for the household as a whole. Many of these make personal grooming products. Here are some examples of that type of survey:

  • Johnson&Johnson recently asked young women to test free samples of a new acne product in a two-week trial.
  • Unilever investigated senior shoppers' interest in and knowledge of products containing omega-3 fatty acids.
  • Clairol found something amusing to study: how does hair color affect others' perceptions of one's personality?
  • Frito-Lay measured responses to a proposed ad campaign pitching Cheetos snacks to older consumers.
  • McDonalds reviewed people's habits of daily coffee consumption, wanting to know the where, when, quality and quantity of their coffee-drinking practices.

Examples of Online Medical Surveys

Medical surveys by companies you know are less frequently offered, but they sometimes turn up in e-mail requests. They usually require that you take medication of some kind in order to answer the questions. Typical medical surveys usually resemble the following:

  • Janssen Pharmaceuticals' survey of outpatient pain management comparing outcomes for patients in different age groups,
  • Novartis' collection of commonly reported dermatological side effects of an anti-anxiety drug,
  • Bayer Healthcare's study of aspirin use by patients with cardiovascular problems.

Digital Technology and Online Surveys

More and more frequently today, businesses that sell popular services will research consumer opinions in order to stay on top of market trends and ahead of the competition. This type of survey will not bring you new products to test, but the questions themselves can be especially interesting.

  • Paypal studied the effect of tablet ownership on mobile shopping and smartphone use.
  • Verizon wanted to know how its customers rate that company's phone, internet and video services as compared to those offered by its competitors.
  • Ask.com devised a survey in which customers rated performance of the site itself as well as the answers received on the site.
  • The used car database Canadian Black Book did a comprehensive study of consumers' desires to purchase used cars, the preferred timeframe for their next purchase, the type of vehicle wanted and so on.

There is Something for Everyone

As you can see, there's generally something in the world of paid surveys to suit every taste. Many people who take them report that they enjoy the experience of learning more about a product and answering a series of focused questions about their own experiences with that product. It is not every day that someone will pay you for your opinion - so the businesses conducting online surveys are going to appreciate having your insight, and encourage your participation!