FAQS
What happens after I sign up?
Once registered we would invite you to surveys, when they become available and when we feel they would be suitable. We use the information you give us during sign up to try and ensure we only send surveys that you should qualify for
What information do you need from me?
Firstly, we will NEVER ask for private banking/secure information such as passwords, PIN codes, mother’s maiden name, first pet etc.
We collect basic demographic information such as your year of birth, gender, region, first part of postcode. We also collect your name, phone number and email address.
Other information we collect allows us to build a profile so we know what kind of surveys we can invite you to. This can include things like your employment situation, if have children, if you drive etc.
How do I know if I qualify for a survey?
In almost every survey we run we need to find a certain profile of person. We can’t advertise this upfront as not everyone will tell us the truth. As such you may find you do not qualify for every survey, we invite you to. You will almost always find this out within 1 or 2 minutes of starting a survey so as not to unfairly take up a lot of your time. We will endeavour to invite people we think match the criteria we need based on the information you gave us during sign up. However, we understand situations change so we aim to keep data up to date using the data you enter for every survey you complete.
How often will I get invited to surveys?
How long is a piece of string? This all depends on a number of factors including how many projects we have live, how many surveys you’ve recently completed, the criteria/profile we are trying to reach etc. Ultimately, we will aim to provide you with as many opportunities as possible, but because we pay properly in pounds and not pence, we are not always successful winning projects with our client base. Sometimes client budgets mean they use the low-cost panels that reward in points where panellists need to conduct dozens of surveys just to generate a £10 voucher!
We also advertise upcoming projects on our website and social media channels.
How do you contact me?
Most surveys you will be invited by email initially, but we may also call you if we can’t get through by email. We also send invites out by text message.
What is an online survey?
These are typically the easiest and most convenient type of survey. You would be invited by email to complete a survey that would typically take around 5-20 minutes to complete. The invite email will contain a link unique to you (so it can’t be shared or replicated). You are likely to be paid £5 to £30 for competing online surveys depending on both the length of the survey but also how niche the qualifying criteria is.
What is a telephone survey?
This is very similar to an online survey, but as the name suggests, it is conducted over the phone. We always call you so there is no cost/data usage from you. You would be invited by email or phone to check if you qualify for the survey and then we would contact you at an agreed/convenient time to complete the full survey. They often take around 5-25 minutes and you’d be paid anything from £5 to £50 for completing phone surveys.
Phone surveys are audio recorded for quality control and analysis purposes only.
What is a focus group or one2one discussion?
A focus groups is where you would join a small group of people (usually around 6-10) at a fixed date/time in either an online meeting place (think Zoom/Teams) or at a physical venue (hotel, research facility, office space). You would be made aware in advance of the general topic. Sometimes you may be asked to complete an easy ‘pre-task’ such as a diary of what shopping you’ve bought recently, or a short q’aire (you’d always be paid extra for this).
They typically last 60-120 minutes and you’d typically receive anything from £40 to £150 for attending and completing the group.
Market research sessions are conducted by trained interviewers (called moderators.) Sometimes the client who commissioned the research will want to observe the session. You will always be informed who will be present at the session.
A one-to-one discussion is very similar to a focus group, but naturally is just you and the moderator
When you attend a market research focus group, or one to one interview, it will be audio and/or video recorded. These recordings are to help with analysis and reporting later on and will not be used for external purposes.
How will I be paid?
We pay after EVERY survey/interview/discussion you complete. This is always done within 5 working days of completing. We offer a variety of payment methods in each survey but will typically involve Amazon vouchers, M&S vouchers, supermarket vouchers or a PayPal payment. We often also provide an option for a charity donation.
How do you protect my data?
Whatever type of research you take part in through The Research Garden be assured that we never pass your personally identifiable information such as name, phone number etc to any third party. All our research is conducted in accordance with the Data Protection Act and GDPR. We are registered with the ICO, our notification number is Z723150X. We are members of the Market Research Society and follow their Code of Conduct.
If we haven’t been able to answer your questions, please contact info@theresearchgarden.co.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.