Market research is the foundation of strategy in business. Over the past years, the internet has become useful in helping companies to conduct market research. Online surveys have become a faster way of collecting data from the respondents as compared to other traditional methods.
Online surveys assist in the systematic collection of data from the respondents by inviting the respondents over the internet and filling the questionnaires online. Online surveys make data collection easy and cost-efficient.
The feedback that the survey sites collect from the respondents is essential to the businesses. It helps them in making strategies that will help them remain in business despite the competition. The feedback helps the companies to know what the respondents think about the products they offer. Consequently, they can make decisions on the improvement of the product to meet the needs of the consumers.
On the other hand, the respondents also benefit. For sharing what they think about the products, they receive a reward from the survey site responsible for the surveys. The rewards can be in the form of cash, gift cards, entry to a sweepstake, or a donation to charity.
It is for that reason that taking part in online paid surveys has become a popular method of earning some passive income. The fact that it is online makes it even better. You can answer the questions on your phone when you are going to work, or you can do it over lunch break in your office.
But how easy is it to get a survey site to work on? And do they pay?
In this review, we want to look at one such survey. Consumer Opinion Institute claims to pay you for your opinion. Let’s find out who they are and if they do pay.
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Consumer Opinion Institute Review
Name: Consumer Opinion Institute
Description: Consumer Opinion Institute is a survey panel that pays you for sharing your opinion about various products. The site has a unique approach in taking the surveys as they usually send them to you via snail mail. It is only on a few occasions that you can receive an invitation to participate in a survey through email. For every survey that you take, the survey site rewards you in cash. You will get the payment check through mail at the same time you receive your survey.
Consumer Opinion Institute Summary
When you join the Consumer Opinion Institute, you get the rare opportunity of influencing future products and services by taking part in the surveys.
As a participant, you get to share your opinion about products and services that you use every day. You give an honest opinion about the products, whether it is negative or positive.
In return for giving your opinion, you receive cash rewards and other prizes. Joining the survey site is free, and you will not have to buy anything to participate in the surveys.
The survey panel operates under its mother company, known as Kantar. Kantar is a market research company that offers expertise to businesses to facilitate their growth.
Who is eligible to join the Consumer Opinion Institute?
Membership to the survey panel is open to legal residents of the United States of America only. Sometimes, the site has demographic restrictions for new members. You also need to be 18 years and above for you to join the site.
How does the survey site work?
Three simple steps are involved in the survey site. First, you will need to register and become a member of the Consumer Opinion Institute survey panel. You do this by providing your email address and your personal data.
Secondly, you will start taking part in surveys. You can receive the emails through your email address. Something unique about the survey panel is that they also send surveys through the mail, the US postal mail.
Lastly, after you complete a survey, you will receive a reward in the form of cash.
How to join the survey site
Entering the survey site is effortless and straightforward. When you go to their website to sign up, they will first ask you for your email address. After that, you will answer questions regarding your lifestyle and your household to complete your registration. This process should take you around 10 minutes.
You may be wondering why they ask you questions about your lifestyle and household details. This is because they want to send you surveys that are appropriate for you. For example, if you are single and you live alone in a rented apartment, you will not receive surveys meant for married people with children who live in their own homes.
Note that joining the site is free of charge.
Who uses Consumer Opinion Institute?
Two groups use Consumer Opinion Institute survey panel. First, some businesses want to collect feedback about what you think about their products and services.
The second group comprises of participants who seek to make some extra passive income by taking part in surveys. For sharing your opinion, the survey site gives you a reward in cash.
For the companies, they receive feedback that helps them to strategize about their business. They use the data they get to make improvements on the quality of the products they offer and other areas of weakness.
Rewards
The survey panel does not have a points system like many other sites. It also does not offer you different ways of redeeming your reward. When you take part and complete a survey, the company will pay you in cash.
How much you can earn depends on how many surveys you complete. Remember, surveys are sent to you depending on the profile you create during sign up. Therefore, depending on your profile, there may be times when you may not receive any surveys.
The survey panel indicates on their website that you will get two mail surveys and one online survey. Most of these surveys are not long. They will take about 10 to 20 minutes. For each survey you complete, you can expect to make about $2 to $5. The payment will vary depending on the length and complexity of the survey.
If you make the calculations of how much you will get per survey and the fact that you can only receive a maximum of 3 surveys per month, you will realize that the money is minimal. But then again, this is money that you earn while doing almost nothing. You are also not paying anything to join, so it’s cost-effective for you.
How to earn on Consumer Opinion Institute
There is only one option of earning on the survey site, and that is by taking part in the surveys. The surveys are offered to you in two ways. Either the survey will be sent online through your email address or postal mail.
The unique thing with this survey site is that unlike other online survey panels that prefer conducting surveys online, Consumer Opinion Institute prefer postal mail. As such, it is rare for you to get an invitation through your email address.
If you get an invitation to participate in a survey online and complete it, you will get your payments through check. The survey panel will send the check to your home address. In this method, you will undergo prescreening to determine if you qualify to take the survey.
What happens in the postal mail method?
The survey panel will send you a survey through the mail and include a check. That check will be your reward for completing the survey. The mail will also include a prepaid postage email that you will use to send back the survey when you finish answering the questions.
The outstanding thing about this method is that you are receiving your payment together with the survey. It is like you are getting paid before you even take the survey. Thus, you will not have the stress of always checking your account to see whether your payment is there.
Another commendable thing about this method is that you automatically qualify for the survey. In other online surveys, getting an invitation to participate in a survey does not mean you will take it. You will further undergo screening to determine if you are the right person to take the survey. They want to find out if your profile meets the goals of the survey.
Plus, the process is pretty simple and convenient. The postage envelope has already been prepaid, and therefore you will not get any money from your pocket.
But the process has a downside. You have to go and get the mail and also mail it back once you complete the survey. You also have to complete it by hand. This is unlike online surveys, which you can take from anywhere and at any time.
Is Consumer Opinion Institute legit or a scam?
Consumer Opinion Institute is not a scam. It is a legit online paid online survey panel. They have been around and paying for a long time.
If the longevity in service does not convince you of their legitimacy, then you can consider the fact that they do not charge you anything to sign up. Plus, the survey site always mails your payment together with the survey. As such, you have no worries about not getting your payment.
However, this is not to say that there are no issues with the site. Users complain of receiving very few surveys per month.
Overall
3.4Pros
- One outstanding advantage of working with the Consumer Opinion Institute is that you get your payment immediately. This is more so if you get your survey through the snail mail. The envelope you receive will contain your survey, your paycheck, and a prepaid envelope to mail your survey back.
- You qualify to take the survey automatically. You do not have to answer any prescreening questions to determine if you are eligible. You answer your survey straight away.
- The website states that you can expect to receive at least two surveys per month. Some months you can receive even 3. This is an assurance that you will earn something monthly.
- It is also a good thing that the company pays you in cash. Thus, you have the freedom to choose what you will do with your money.
- The survey panel does not charge you anything to sign up
Cons
- The survey site sends its surveys through the mail instead of going digital. This means you will have to spend a lot of time perusing many pages to answer the survey.
- The registration for the survey site is not always open. They have limited slots, which means if it is filled up, you cannot join.
User Review
( votes)OpinionSite Survey Center
| Name | Consumer Opinion Institute |
| Payout | Cash |
| Minimum Payout | NA |
| Payment Method | |
| Points Expiry | NA |
| Sign Up | Online |
| Age | 18+ |
| Language | English |
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FAQs
Is the survey site legit?
Consumer Opinion Institute is a legit survey site that pays you for sharing your opinion. The panel does not charge you to join, and they do pay.
How do I take part in the surveys?
Usually, the survey panel will send the survey to you through postal mail. The envelope will contain the survey and a check. The check is your payment for completing the survey. The envelope will also include a prepaid postage envelope that you will use to send the survey back once you finish answering.
Who is eligible to join?
You are eligible to join the site if you are 18 years or older, and you are a legal resident of the USA.
However, note that the site has limited slots, and there are times that all slots are filled.
How much can I make on the site?
How much you make will depend on how many surveys you will get in a month. Most of the surveys are 10 to 20 minutes long. For these, you can expect to get $1 to $5.
Conclusion
Consumer Opinion Institute is a legit site that you can join and earn some passive income. The site pays you for giving your opinion about products and services that you use daily.
The site is open to residents of the USA only, and it sends you surveys through postal mail. If you are eligible, you should join the site and earn some extra income.