FAQ

You contribute your thoughts and feelings about products on the market now, new product ideas or advertising ideas in a group discussion or in one on one interviews.

Researchers use many techniques to gather your opinions and you may be asked to participate in focus groups, questionnaires over the phone, by trialling existing or new products; mystery shopping, watching a television pilot or preview a movie, be involved in a one on one interviews, complete an in home study, a large centralised tasting test or an online survey. It depends on the requirements of the company requesting the market research.

Market research surveys are generally intended to get your honest opinions on various topics, such as what kind of products you buy, why you choose one product over another, what you think of certain products and how much they cost, how much you spend on various products, etc and so your exposure to or experience of a particular product or service is all that is needed. When we contact you, we will ask a series of questions to determine your suitability for a particular market research survey and you can feel confident that your involvement will be straightforward and relaxed.

The majority of paid market research is held in the metropolitan areas of our major cities where all of our research group venues are close to public transport and parking. From time to time research is conducted in smaller cities and larger towns in regional and event rural areas, but less frequently. Of course, geographic boundaries don't apply to participation in online surveys if your consumer profile fits the requirements.

Paid market research can be held at all times of the day and evening, and occasionally on the weekend. However, the usual times for focus groups are between 6pm and 8pm Monday to Thursday. You will always be advised of the time of the session before you commit to participate.

You can register online today. You can also include your dependent children on your registration form as businesses often need feedback from small consumers as well!

Any body in the age group of 7 to 65+ with excellent written and oral communication skills and a creative mind may register online today.

That depends on the form that the market research takes and could be from 30 minutes to 3 hours, but is typically 1 to 2 hours. Simple questionnaire surveys are generally made up of anywhere from 20-50 questions, sometimes multiple choice and sometimes with space for you to add your personal comments. They can take between 10 and 60 minutes to complete. Focus Groups are usually a more lengthy process, lasting up to 2 hours or occasionally, even longer. You will always be advised the time required before you commit to participate and your incentive payment will be commensurate with the time involved.

Everything about you, the suburb you live in, whether you are working, a student or out of the paid workforce, the type of you drive, whether you are married or single makes up your personal profile. It’s this profile that we use to match you with the surveys and focus groups that businesses require. For example, if a company is wanting to research consumer opinions on a specific laundry liquid, they are unlikely to request 17 year old boys to participate in that particular paid survey!.

You can register online today. You can also include your dependent children on your registration form as businesses often need feedback from small consumers as well!

When we receive a request for research, we draw participants from our database based on the criteria provided to us by the market research company. If you are within this selection, you will be contacted, usually by phone, and asked a series of screening questions. Your answers to these questions will determine if you meet the selection criteria set by the research company relating to the product or service for this specific project. If you do meet the criteria, you will be invited to participate and this can involve attending a specific location, on a specific day for a specific time and for a specific payment. Please remember that you are not obligated to participate if you do qualify and are not obliged to accept every invitation. If you are able to participate your attendance will be confirmed by email immediately and again 24 hours before the actual event. You will need to be at the nominated venue at least 10 minutes before the appointed start time. This is very important as if you are late it is likely that you will not be admitted therefore not receive your anticipated payment. Please keep us informed of any changes to your profile such as your address or contact details. You can update these online VIA EMAIL or call us on 1300 787 417.

Absolutely not! By participating in market research you are providing a valued service. The incentive payments that you receive will vary according to the type of research and the time it takes for you to participate. No payment is ever required from you though you are responsible for your own transport to and from any focus groups you choose to participate in.

If for any reason you can no loner participate in a paid market research activity, it is very important to inform us as soon as possible so we can make alternative arrangements for another participant. Please call 1300 787 417 or email us.

We will NEVER give your personal data to outside parties without your permission. Your privacy is valued and protected in accordance with the National Privacy Principles contained in the Commonwealth Privacy Act 1988 (Act No. 119 as amended), and the Market and Social Research Privacy. Please check our Privacy Policy here.

There could be a variety of reasons why we haven’t been in contact with you recently. The most common reasons is that your profile has not met the selection criteria for the research projects we have been asked to recruit participants for lately. In the case of group forums, it may be because you have participated in a group within the past 6 months and are temporarily ineligible for a period of time (this prevents “focus group groupies” from participating in too many surveys for the cash incentives and skewing the results for clients. If you have been involved in a group, you are still able to participate in other forms of research and your registration is still active.

Farron Research conducts research recruitment of respondents who participate in paid market research. We receive a brief from a market research company, check our database for suitable participants who appear to match the selection criteria and then conduct a screening interview, usually by phone. If you meet the specific selection criteria, we confirm your involvement in the research and provide the details for your participation. We have been providing this service to the Market research Industry Australia wide since 1998, are IQCA compliant and are a member of the Australian Market and Social Research Society (AMSRS) www.amsrs.com.au.