When companies launch new products there's lots at stake. They pour millions - sometimes billions of pounds - into R&D, package design, manufacturing, advertising, logistics... the list goes on.
It's a huge risk for them because if the launch falls flat - like what happened to that bottled water Coke bought out a few years back - it's a huge waste of money.
No one - not even Coke - can afford that in this economic climate. So instead, companies large and small are turning to regular folks to help them fine-tune their products before they hurl them at the mercy of the wider market.
In short: businesses will pay you for your time and your opinion about their products.
Some firms will send you their new product to use for a few weeks. You report back at the end of that period with your honest opinion; they pay you - either in cash, vouchers or air miles. Some even let you keep the product you're testing as payment!
These types of review are usually conducted by a market research firm on behalf of individual
companies and you can sign up online!
There's no catch - you just have to be prepared to share your opinion.
Try these two online review websites for starters:
Clix Research
Dooyoo
There are other websites out there if you Google "paid market research"
Other companies will want your help BEFORE the manufacturing stage. So they'll invite you to attend a meeting where they'll ask you a bunch of questions and get you to participate in a discussion about your likes and dislikes.
Or they'll talk to you on the phone, or you'll participate in an online chat. Whatever, they'll
usually pay you in cash - sometimes as much as £150 a pop.
Lovely jubbly!
Again, these "Focus Groups" are usually coordinated by research agencies. Here are three to take a look at - but there are more out there if you Google "Focus Group":
Saros
Indiefield
Focus4People
And the best bit about all of this? You don't need any kind of qualification to be a paid reviewer.
Okay, not many blokes are going to be asked to test the latest underwired bra (though I know a few who could) but unless the product is gender specific, pretty much anyone can offer - and get paid for - their opinion.
Sounds like money for nothing to me.
If you're not the shy retiring type, give it a go. It could bring the cost of your Christmas down
considerably...
