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Market research

It's crucial for ANY business to know its customers inside out.

Give Opinions are the link between real people, fieldwork and research agencies and the brands you consume daily, see on supermarket shelves, and may aspire to have in the future.

We're on a mission to connect honest, reliable people with companies who want to understand better who buys, who doesn't, who does and who might to develop and deliver better and more innovative products, services and brands built around real customer insights and truths.

There are lots of different types of market research you can get involved in. This means that there's something for everyone (it's not just for the opinionated or the extroverts).

Here's a quick overview of the market research methods and what you might be required to do if you take part:

Online Community

A digital research experience from the comfort of your own home.

An online community is precisely what its name says: a community of people brought together in a secure, private online space and closely managed by a team of research moderators, usually over several days or weeks.

The research advertisement will communicate the number of days the community lasts and the approximate hours you'll be expected to give.

They function much as social media channels do. You build a profile, and then you'll be set a program of tasks to complete whilst taking part. The tasks could include photos, videos, voice notes, written text, and surveys and vary per community, so you must have the right equipment and computer knowledge to complete the tasks in full.

You'll be expected to log on regularly during the start and finish dates of the community to complete the tasks. Leaving all the tasks to the final day is not advised.

The tasks could be revealed all at once, but more commonly, are posted every few days or can be 'released' on your successful completion of the previous task. You will be assigned a moderator who may communicate with you during the community and ask additional questions about some of your responses.

You'll be asked to create a username during community onboarding. Do not include any reference to your name or location to protect your identity. You'll also be asked to upload a profile picture. Your posts may be viewed to create digital discussion amongst other community members. Some posts may be private and only viewed by the community moderator(s).

Focus Groups

Focus groups usually consist of 5-7 like-minded individuals who have been selected based on common criteria. Focus groups can be in-person in a venue (usually a viewing facility or event venue) or held online (often via ZOOM or on TEAMS). They are always led by a trained moderator who will ask the questions and chair the group.

Focus groups typically last between 60 minutes to 3-hours. Whether online or in-person, you are always expected to arrive at least 5 minutes before the group starts and stay until the end.

You will be asked to put your phone on silent, remove yourself from any other distractions or interruptions, and treat the focus group as you would a business meeting.

Online focus groups always require you to have the right equipment. A laptop, desktop or tablet device is always needed, so you can see everyone taking part at all times, and often, the moderator will want to share visuals and words with you, so the bigger the screen, the better so you'll be able to see and give good insights.

You will always need a fully working camera and microphone to participate, and you need to be in a location where you can (almost) guarantee a stable connection to the internet.

If you are considering involvement in a focus group, it is important that you are confident and can articulate your views and opinions to a group of people that you have never met before. It is also essential that you can listen to the opinions of others, ensuring everyone has their say during the focus group.

Depth Interviews

Like focus groups, depth interviews (or depths) can be conducted online or face-to-face (and sometimes over the telephone). A depth interview is a one-to-one interview between you and a moderator. The moderator will guide you through the interview as more of a discussion rather than a series of questions and your response.

It is crucial that you know the subject you will be talking about inside out and upside down, bringing your unique, real-life experiences to the interview and allowing the moderator to uncover the truth about the topic.

Accompanied Shops

Love to shop? Then share this with a moderator, in-person, in-store and talk about it.

You'll meet a moderator who be with you every step of the way. Sometimes they may simply observe your natural behaviour. Sometimes they will ask questions about what you see, what you think and why you did something whilst shopping. They may ask your opinions on ranges, display, packaging, merchandising, layout, signage, staff interactions, and more.

In-home Interviews

In-home interviews are often conducted when a research team wants to get into their customers' nitty-gritty and purchasing choices. They can also be done if the researcher wants to observe and delve into natural behaviour or because the equipment required is already in your home. They may also be undertaken if you have specific mental or physical needs, removing barriers and enabling you to contribute to the research study.

You'll always know beforehand who's coming to your home and what they look like, and they must present their ID before you allow them in. You'll often have a quick introductory phone call, and we'll always talk through concerns and queries before your session, giving you the peace of mind to participate.

Workshops or Co-Creation Sessions

These longer sessions require mental stamina. Usually, between 3 and 6 hours long, these workshops require focused, creative, confident, articulate and quick-thinking individuals to bring their skills and opinions to the session with enthusiasm.

Almost always, workshops and co-creation sessions are held face-to-face. This is because they're very interactive, requiring you to get involved with discussion alongside an activity or collaboration with others, workshopping a solution to a problem. You may be asked to examine prototype products, test new solutions and critique design or advertising.

These sessions will commonly include members of the research sponsor team who will want to hear and see first-hand reactions (good or bad) to their new product, design or service.

Ethnographies

Often observational based, in-part with depth(s) following on.

The observation part of this research allows moderators to observe your conscious and unconscious behaviour. Sometimes this research is conducted with a moderator in a quiet room, observing and recording what, when and how you do things. Alternatively, ethnographies can be conducted remotely with motion sensor cameras recording footage in the same way.

Research Panels

Panels are a great way to regularly engage in research over a long period of time (usually around 12 months). You become one of a pool of people invited to participate in surveys and questionnaires or smaller, more intimate research options like focus groups, accompanied shops and depth interviews.

Research opportunities are advertised to panel respondents only, and you register your interest to participate in the ones that pique your interest or you have time to take on. Each opportunity you take part in is rewarded with a separate incentive, so you're almost guaranteed incentives throughout the panel's duration.

If you're considering joining a research panel, our best advice is to ensure that the subject of the panel is of genuine interest to you or you feel passionately about. You'll get more from getting involved, and the researchers and research sponsor will benefit from your engagement and deeper insights.

Pre-Tasks or Post-Tasks

These are usually short activities required to be undertaken by you before or after the primary research session.

A pre-task will prepare you, getting your mind into gear in preparation for the session. They also help the moderator to understand more about you, how you do things and your likes and dislikes before you meet. Post-tasks are often used to qualify an experience you may have discussed in your research session.

The format of pre and post-tasks can vary significantly from completing a survey, creating a mood board, buying a product, keeping a usage diary, or designing your product wish list.

It's important that you complete these in full and submit any response by the deadline. They often help you more than they help the researchers and enable you to give better and more organised insight in the primary research session.

The incentive value of pre and post-tasks is always communicated separately from the primary research session incentive value.

Surveys

Surveys can be completed in many ways – store exit surveys, on-street surveys, telephone surveys, online surveys, and mobile surveys. They're all about collating hundreds of responses simultaneously every time to produce a dataset. The data is then analysed, checking for frequency, similarities, differences, and patterns informing critical decisions for brands and companies across every area of their business.

A research project often starts with a survey, allowing researchers insight into trends across a brand's consumers before progressing to more in-depth research formats to understand the human truths.

Surveys are often not incentivised, although you can usually opt-in to enter a prize draw for a chance to win a voucher for participating. Completing a survey may also present further research opportunities connected to the same project.

Product Tests

Have you ever seen an advert for moisturiser or shampoo, "over 97% of people who tested agree"? The statistic has come from market research product testing.

The whole reason for product testing is to record and collate many people's opinions in the same way, to discover similarities, differences, negatives and positives. Often used in developing new products or redesigning existing products, a brand can modify, curate, select or discount concept products before they take them to market.

Product tests can be in-person at a venue. These are often held when additional equipment is required to test the product(s) thoroughly, and some rigour and control are necessary to enable you to do so.

At-home tests require products to be sent directly to your home. You'll be provided with a set of user instructions for the product(s) you are testing over several days precisely to the instructions. You'll likely feed back on your experience via online surveys.

User Experience (UX Testing)

Much of how we plan and research, what we experience and how we browse and purchase now takes place online. Testing website navigation, functionality and online services, experiences and interactions with brands online are crucial to ensuring online sale success and customer satisfaction.

UX testing can occur face-to-face (so you're directly observed), online, including interactions with a moderator or independently online and recorded.

Market research should always be conducted by trained moderators, interviewers and researchers. DBS-checked moderators will conduct interviews involving children, and parental consent will always be sought.

Registering for research

There are several ways to join our market research platform:

When you join the Give Opinions platform, you will be contacted about projects you meet the basic criteria for by email straight to your inbox. The frequency of these emails varies depending on your suitability for the projects we're recruiting for.

You can also access all the projects we're recruiting by visiting the Projects Page on the Give Opinions website and through our social media channels on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/giveopinions.co.uk), Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/give.opinions/), Twitter (https://twitter.com/GiveOpinions22), or LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/give-opinions/)

We contact you based on the information you supplied when registering, so if anything needs to be corrected, it could affect our ability to contact you accurately.

When registering with us, we ask you to share the following information:

  • Name; Date of Birth; Gender; Ethnicity;
  • Marital Status; Occupation; Life Stage;
  • Phone Number; Email Address; Home Address (including nearest city and region)

To update us on any changes to the personal information you've supplied at registration, drop us a line: hello@giveopinions.co.uk, and we'll update your profile to keep you in the know for research projects that may be right for you.

Applying for research

When you apply for a research project, we ask lots of questions. We do this to find those who most closely match the people who best represent the company or brand we're recruiting for. This is called 'screening'.

The best way for us to do this is to collect lots of the same responses digitally from people wanting to participate. We then match the responses to the customer profile supplied by our client.

Matching the customer profiles is the trickiest part of our job; we're spinning plates, juggling lots of balls and talking to hundreds of people to find the right fit.

If you're registered to the Give Opinions platform, we only retain your contact details and location. As such, you may find some of the questions repetitive when applying to take part. Please don't be put off; it helps ensure we get a fair representation of individuals across the UK.

If you fit the profile, you'll receive a phone call. The phone call will either come from a member of the Give Opinions team or from one of our lovely Fieldwork Partners (the event managers of the research industry).

This phone call is very important. It's the opportunity to verify the answers you've given us in your online screener, ask you some deeper questions, tell you more and answer any questions you may have about the research project.

During this phone call, we're also checking your suitability for the type or format of the research project you've applied for. This includes ensuring your personality will dovetail with other people taking part in the research, ensuring you have enough spare time to complete the study, the right equipment to access the research, or simply that you can attend on time.

Before confirming your place, you may also be asked for further verifications to ensure you fit the research specifications. For example, you may be asked for:

  • ID to prove your age if taking part in gambling, smoking, vaping or alcohol research
  • Proof of ownership for car research
  • A bill or proof of account for energy supplier research

If you can't provide the necessary documentation to verify your eligibility, you won't be able to participate.

If you apply for a research study and don't hear from us, it's often because the information you've given doesn't quite fit the profile of the people we are trying to find. It also might be that we've had lots of responses from people who match the criteria, and there aren't any spaces available on the research study.

It's never personal; we're simply playing 'Snap' with twenty decks of cards and only one pair of hands.

Taking part in research

Once you are verified for the research project, you'll receive an email invitation containing all the information you need to participate. This email will include the date, time, location/Online joining link, who you're meeting, confirmation of the incentive value, who is paying you, when you should receive your incentive and who you need to speak to if there is an issue or query.

The email will also include a GDPR consent link for you to complete. It is a legal requirement for fieldwork or research agencies to gather your consent to specific elements relating to the research study and for you to understand, agree and abide by the terms and conditions of the research project.

The GDPR consent link often contains the options for administering your incentive payment. So, to ensure a speedy incentive payment, make sure that you complete this accurately.

On the day of your research session, you'll receive a phone call or text as a reminder for your session. Answering the phone or responding to the text ensures your intention to attend.

Once the research project is complete, your incentive payment will be made (usually within 5-7 days for BACs, vouchers and cheque payment, or instantly with cash if face-to-face.

You should approach participating in a market research project exactly the same way you should approach being employed (you are, after all, being paid for your time and effort).

Here are the requirements we expect from you when you take part in a Give Opinions market research project:

Standard Expectations
  • The information you give to take part is honest and accurate.
  • Any ID and/or verification documentation required is original and genuine.
  • You complete the GDPR Consents required BEFORE your participation.
  • You are confident you can give the required time to participate fully.
  • If you withdraw from the research, you do so in advance to allow another person to participate.
  • If you withdraw or cannot attend, you contact the fieldwork/research agency and Give Opinions to notify your non-attendance either by way of a phone call or by email. You do not have to disclose why you decided not to take part.
  • You complete and supply any pre/post work required for the research project in full and on time. Failure to do so may result in a reduced payment or no payment for this part of the research.
  • You arrive 5-10 minutes before your research session, minimising any disruption to the start of the meeting.
  • If you're going to be late, please advise us as early as possible stating your estimated time of arrival.
  • If you arrive late, you may be turned away without payment.
  • You stay for the entire duration of the research session.
  • You give your full attention throughout, keeping your mobile phone silent or switched off.
  • You do not bring anyone else to the research session. Unless you're told otherwise, the invitation is for you only. This includes children or babies.
  • You must be respectful to moderators and other people in the research session. Disrespectful, offensive or disruptive comments and behaviour will not be tolerated. You will be asked to leave the research session, and your incentive payment will not be made.
For Online Research
  • You have checked that your internet connection is reliable for the duration of the research.
  • You use a laptop/desktop/tablet with a screen big enough to clearly view any shared documentation AND other people in the research. Mobile phones are not considered suitable devices.
  • Your laptop/desktop/tablet has a fully working camera and microphone.
  • You are situated somewhere quiet and away from distractions.
  • You have the joining instructions and link at hand.
  • You are somewhere with good lighting and can be viewed at all times.
  • You have a drink, some paper and a pen when you log on.
  • You give your full attention throughout and do not disrupt the session:
  • Mobile phones should be on silent or switched off.
  • Eating and drinking during a session is unacceptable.
  • Toilet breaks and unnecessary movement away from the camera or your device are unacceptable.
  • If you have children at home, ensure you have adequate childcare in place to allow you to participate without distraction.

If your child is participating in a research project, you should expect the same process and procedure of a research project for adults, with a little extra rigour for safeguarding. Here's how it works:

Submitting An Application To Take Part:
  • For anyone under the age of 16 years, a parent or responsible adult will apply on behalf of the child.
  • The parent or responsible adult shares their personal contact information for follow-up contact.
  • When prompted, allow your child to answer the questions – they might need your help to input their response into the questionnaire, but the answers should come from them – the research project is about their opinions, not yours.
  • Ensure they understand they may not be selected to participate to avoid disappointment.
Confirming Your Child For Research
  • Give Opinions (or fieldwork/research agency) may be in touch to ask more or verify the information in your application. Both you and your child will be addressed during this confirmation to ensure a good fit for the research.
  • If invited to participate, you will receive all correspondence on behalf of your child. You must complete a GDPR consent form and submit payment details for their incentive.
  • You'll be given an outline of the topics and types of questions your child may be asked. This is for your peace of mind and shouldn't be used to prepare your child. Their responses in the session should be spontaneous and should be their own thoughts and opinions.
  • Moderators and researchers working with children have the relevant certification to verify and allow them to work with children without adult/parental chaperoning.
During The Research
  • You'll be required to ensure that your child arrives 5-10 minutes before the research session is due to take place.
  • It's important for the moderator to understand your child's opinions, so you may be asked to leave the room to allow them to answer freely and without parental bias.
  • You'll be asked to stay close by in case you're needed during the session, and your phone number will be shared with the moderator to be able to contact you.
After The Research
  • The research will be paid for inline with your instructions. It's your responsibility to dispense the incentive to your child as you see fit.
  • You will be contacted for any follow-up research opportunities in connection with the project.

Give Opinions are committed to helping companies reach people, whatever the barriers may be.

We work with fieldwork and research agencies to develop formats supporting vulnerable or hard-to- reach voices.

Steps that Give Opinions and fieldwork/research agencies may take to assist:

  • Re-look at the research format to cater you're your additional needs
  • Reserve your parking and provide entrance and exit details.
  • Allow a chaperone to attend the research session (they will be asked to stay quiet throughout).
  • Schedule short breaks during the session for your comfort
  • Assist you in getting online with tech support

Whatever your requirements, we'll work with you and the other agencies to make your research experience simple and inclusive.

Payment for research

As a thank you for your time, taking part and sharing your opinions, you will be provided with an incentive.

Every project advertisement will clearly communicate how and when your incentive will be issued. Your incentive could be paid as cash, directly to your bank account as a BACs payment, or vouchers/gift cards (sometimes by cheque if you request). You're often allowed to choose how it will be paid before your research session.

You will be informed which company is paying your incentive before your research session. This is often part of the research GDPR Consent, where you will also be asked for your consent for the paying company to hold the payment details you provide for a short time after the research has been completed to administer your payment.

The time between you completing the research and receiving your payment can vary:

  • Cash incentives (in-person sessions only, less frequently offered) are paid immediately after you successfully complete your research. You'll be asked to sign a document as proof of your incentive payment.
  • BACs and vouchers are most commonly paid within 5-7 working days.

We ask that you wait the full number of days stated by the paying company to administer your incentive BEFORE chasing it.

In the (rare) instance you don't get paid for taking part in a market research project, you should contact:

  • The fieldwork or research agency (ensure you email the project manager and the general email address)
  • Copy hello@giveopinions.co.uk into your email, and we'll assist in any way we can to resolve the matter quickly and efficiently.

Data security

Whichever way you join the Give Opinions panel, it's important you know the following:

  • The data you provide is kept securely in our database.
  • The security of your data is paramount. As such, our platform hosting is provided by AWS using the London data centre.
  • We take data privacy very seriously, comply with all GDPR and DPA 2018 regulations, and support our customers and users wherever possible.
  • You can access your data upon written request to Give Opinions or by emailing hello@giveopinions.co.uk
  • At your request, we can remove your data from our systems in line with GDPR.

For detailed information on security, privacy and how to access your data, please refer to our Privacy Policy

We're strictly governed by the ICO, adhere to the Market Research Society (MRS) Code of Conduct and handle the personal data we store and the data we pass on to our clients in accordance with UK Law.

We'll ALWAYS ask for your consent to specific requirements for sharing your data with fieldwork or research agencies verbally or as part of the online application when you're applying to take part.

The market research fieldwork or research agency will verify further consent for the particulars of each research project. They will record your consent and agreement in a short form as part of your official research invite. Your answers will be retained for a stipulated period.

Common types of consents and agreements you may be asked to give:

  • Consent to contact you via alternative methods other than a phone call or email.
  • Consent to share your email address or phone number with the appointed research agency for the purposes of the project only.
  • An agreement that you understand what is involved and required for the research project.
  • An agreement that the research has been clearly explained to you before participating.
  • An agreement that your participation is voluntary.
  • An agreement that you understand you can withdraw from the research project at any time.
  • An agreement that your identity will be protected. You will be anonymised and only ever referred to by your first name and surname initial or by a participant ID number.
  • An agreement that the end research sponsor (brand or company) may never be revealed to you or may only be revealed to you at the end of your participation in the research project.
  • Consent for the research session(s) to be audio and/or video recorded for the purposes of the research project only (consent to share any recording in the public domain will always be made very clear).
  • Consent to keep any image, video, voice recording or other collateral you share as part of the research project for the purposes of the research project only.
  • Consent to use the views and opinions you share as part of the project in presentations, reports and other research outputs connected with the research project only.
  • An agreement that you will not disclose or discuss the particulars of the market research project you are participating in.
  • An agreement that you have read and understood the privacy policy/policies of the agencies involved in the research project.
  • An agreement that you are being paid an incentive for participating in the research project.
  • Consent for your incentive payment to be made by the named company via the method you select and the details you give.
  • Consent to be recontacted for follow-on stages of research connected only with the project you're participating in.
  • An agreement that you have read and understood all of the particulars of the research project.

Any unusual consents or agreements required will always be separate from the above standard list and will always be explained clearly to you ahead of your participation. You may also be asked to sign further legally binding non-disclosure agreements (NDA) before participating.

You can see full details of our privacy policy here:
https://www.giveopinions.co.uk/privacy-policy

TO UNSUBSCRIBE AND STOP RECEIVING ANY FURTHER INVITATIONS FOR RESEARCH:

If you no longer wish to receive emails from, Give Opinions, please either click on the UNSUBSCRIBE link on one of our invitation emails or email unsubscribe@giveopinions.co.uk

TO EXERCISE YOUR RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN:

If you want us to permanently delete all your data from our records, please email rtbf@giveopinions.co.uk

PLEASE NOTE:

If you have applied to participate in a research project close to the time of your unsubscribing OR requesting we delete you from our database, our team or fieldwork partner may still contact you via phone or email.

If you would like to share feedback on Give Opinions, please complete this survey: https://forms.office.com/e/3jfyYTVGah