Try Out Product Sampling
Are you an early adopter of technology, gadgets and gizmos? Are you the first to see every blockbuster movie? Are you on the cutting edge of every fashion and fad? If you answered answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, then you are sure to love being a product tester. A product tester is a regular consumer or potential consumer who is sent a product in the mail to try out, evaluate and then report findings on a survey or product review.
Many survey sites have client corporations who desire more feedback from consumers than just an online survey alone can provide. It’s one thing to imagine how a product would work, taste, smell, or last but quite another to actually experience these product attributes first hand. When companies provide survey takers with a product to sample, they can look forward to data rich with valuable opinions and insights that can be incorporated into the product development and marketing processes. This makes the consumer experience for everyone!
Often, an opportunity to participate in a product sample will come after completing a “screener” type online survey. However, not every online survey ends with the promise of a product sample, that’s for certain. You may be asked at the end of the paid survey if you would be willing to use and evaluate a product if sent to your home. Often these products can be labeled generically so that you provide unbiased answers without the brand’s reputation influencing your opinions.
Compensation for participating in product testing is as varied as the companies that have product sample programs. Usually, the reward for trying out the product and completing a short survey is just the product itself. This is great, especially if it is something that you really like! Often, you will also be sent coupons and other incentives for purchasing the product in the future and to share with friends. Some product sampling projects that are time consuming or have lengthy paid surveys will offer additional compensation such as cash, extra reward points from the survey site, or even additional merchandise. To find survey sites that offer product sampling, visit SurveyAdventure.com and start exploring today!
If The Shoe Fits . . . Say So!
Product testing is a great way to get to try out new footwear long before it’s made available for sale to the general population. Shoe manufacturers have been known to mail out shoes for customers to evaluate and report back their findings. As a shoe tester, you’ll typically be sent a pair of shoes under development in your size to test out hands on, errr. . . feet on! Shoe designers are trying to find out how well the shoes perform and are perceived by the future consumer; expect to wear your test shoes during your daily sports and leisure activities and complete online surveys about your experience and impressions.
If you are into athletics or just having your feet look good, a coveted product tester spot to have is for Nike. This leader in the athletic apparel industry works with people like you to insure that their shoes perform better, wear longer and fit more comfortably that the competition. Nike prides itself on innovation and meeting or exceeding the consumer’s expectations and this is where product testing becomes vital to their success. With insights from everyday athletes, Nike continues to make the right shoe for every sport and inspire people to “Just Do It”.
If you are interested in Nike Product Testing, check out their site and complete the online registration. Even your children can participate as there are categories for “under 13 years” in addition to “adults”. Nike does have strict rules about confidentiality and asks that you do not wear the shoes to places like fun runs, sports games and other visibly public areas. Despite this requirement, you are required to wear the shoes as much as possible during your testing period and complete a usage log (like a paid survey) that records your activity, terrain, comments and more. Upon completion, you send the shoes back in the same box for wear and tear evaluation at the Nike testing facility.
Nike isn’t the only company that has shoe testing programs, however, other brands are usually found on a word-of-mouth basis. For example, I am a regular runner and one day walked into my local specialty running shoe store and the owner asked me if I wanted to test out a brand new pair of racing flats (to keep!) and fill out a short survey about how they worked for me. So, if you like taking surveys, testing out new products and enjoy a particular sport, you definitely have what it takes to be a shoe tester
Survey Spotlight: BzzAgent
Word-of-mouth marketing is all the rage these days and the online site, BzzAgent.com, has been spreading the buzz about various products and services from some of the biggest companies around since 2001. I’ve personally been a member since 2006 and have had fun testing out new products, brands and websites and sharing my experiences with everyone I know. From testing out new Off! Mosquito products on our last trip to the lake to taking friends out to eat new menu items at Chili’s restaurant, I’ve helped to create a positive buzz about these companies in a way that they can’t get from a traditional advertising campaign.
When you sign up to become an “agent” at BuzzAgent, you create a profile that is used as the basis for targeting you with campaigns that best fit the client’s needs. You will be asked to join a campaign through an email invitation, and after accepting, you will receive a campaign kit that includes many items such as a product to be tested, coupons for free products, additional coupons to share, and a product information booklet. BuzzAgent is counting on you to use the product and share your enthusiasm for the experience with everyone you know, from family, friends, neighbors, co-workers and even total strangers! After you “buzz” people, you submit “buzzreports” that can earn you valuable points for prizes at partner, Mypoints. Additionally, you can earn more points for taking surveys, sharing photos and videos online, posting reviews online and spreading the word on Facebook and Twitter.
In addition to testing products, taking surveys and spreading the word, you can also check out the Frogpond, a part of BzzAgent that dedicated to discovering, sharing, and bringing useful online information to your attention. Also, BzzScapes is a user-driven section of the website that lets agents go all out and create content about their favorite brands. Uploading photos, feedback and almost anything else gives you the chance to influence the marketers and be part of a larger web-based community that loves the same brands