A Guide To The Respondent Market Research Platform for UK Side Hustlers
In today's gig economy, savvy UK residents are constantly on the lookout for lucrative side hustles. One often overlooked opportunity is participating in paid market research projects through platforms like Respondent. This Respondent website connects businesses with individuals willing to share their opinions and experiences in return for a reward, offering a win-win situation for both parties.
What is Respondent?
Respondent is an American market research platform, which operates in the US and UK and enables businesses to recruit professionals and general consumers to take part in market research studies. Users of the site will enter their demographic/ personal information on to the website, and Respondent will then use that data to match specific groups of people to upcoming market research projects. The user's specific demographics/personal data will be used to match the right people to the needs of the research project, to ensure that the user's experience and knowledge base match what the project managers are looking for, and to ensure that the project only gets high-quality respondents.
Respondent stands out from traditional survey sites by offering higher-paying opportunities and having more high-quality projects. The site has a large network of participants registered to take part in market research surveys, which means it's a popular site for market researchers to use. At any given time, you'll typically find dozens of projects being recruited for on the Respondent platform, with new projects being added frequently.
Key Features of Respondent
1. Diverse Research Opportunities
Respondent offers a wide range of research projects, including:
Moderated and unmoderated studies—There are some projects where you'll speak directly with a researcher, either in person or, these days, more likely via an online platform such as Teams or Zoom, to answer questions and discuss the research objectives. Speaking to a stranger can seem daunting, but you're normally talking to an experienced researcher, and they'll normally do everything possible to make you feel comfortable and at ease. Just pretend you're talking to someone at the pub and don't worry about it; normally, time flies past, and it'll be over really fast! | The more of these studies you do, the quicker you'll realise that the people aren't scary; they're just there to ask you questions and record your responses. It's not an exam; they want you to answer the questions honestly!
Unmoderated studies are also popular, where survey participants do not need to speak to a researcher and instead perform tasks alone, often being recorded by a webcam. You'll have a set task or tasks to do, and the screen will record what you are doing and sometimes audio if you are asked to speak your answers out loud rather than typing them in, which, in my opinion, is much easier and speeds up the tasks!
Software and mobile application testing - This type of research process is based around you testing out an app or other mobile applications and feeding back any issues or problems you might have found or giving them ideas on how something might be done better or in a way that's easier to understand. An example might be walking through a prototype of a banking app, asking how you might find something specific on the app, and feeding back how easy it was to find. This might be done live with a researcher or video on a recorded screen.
Website evaluations—These are similar to the above but based on a website. You'll have specific tasks to perform and then feedback on how you go on, again, either live with a research team or via a recorded screen.
Focus groups and one-on-one interviews - Focus groups usually involve you being a part of a more extensive study where you aren't alone and will be a member of an online panel or sometimes an in-person panel, which will pay more as you will need to travel to the research location, but since Covid, it's rarer to find a group market research panel that isn't conducted online! As part of this group of other participants, you'll normally be asked questions as a group, and you all give your own responses and often discuss the topic as a group. I quite like these groups as it can be really interesting to see other people's opinions on a subject. You'll often find these groups last between 1 and 3 hours, and although they usually don't pay as well as individual research projects, they are easier as you don't have to be the one answering all the questions, so it is less labour/talking intensive! You'll find a mix of the general public and working professionals taking part in different focus groups from a range of sectors, together with different age groups, to give valuable insights to the researchers, and that means you'll be teamed up with a really diverse pool of fellow panel members!
2. User-Friendly Interface
The platform boasts an easy-to-use design, making it easy for participants to find and apply for relevant studies or usability tests. The website shows a list of available studies, and you can apply for three studies in a 24 hours period. If you see a study that you think you'd be interested in taking part in, you need to fill out a screener, which may ask you some extra questions on top of the information already held about you, and this information is then sent to the market research project leaders. They'll look at all the potential respondents screener information to find the right respondents for their project.
Often, a large number of people will apply for a study with only a small number of participants being accepted, and so just because you've applied and feel that you are suitable for the study, it doesn't mean you'll definitely get given a place on the study. It's possible the quality of the research participants selected is higher than you; perhaps they've had more years of experience in the subject than you. or perhaps a recent study you've taken part in is similar to this one, and they'd rather have someone that hasn't answered similar questions before, for a better, less polished response to answers; you never can tell!
3. Targeted Matching
Respondent uses your detailed profile information to match participants with studies that suit their expertise and demographics, so it's important to keep your profile updated with any job of demographic changes, as researchers are looking for a diverse pool of respondents, and you don't want to miss out on a project because your profile doesn't reflect your skills and experience!
4. Flexible Participation
Users can choose to participate in studies that fit their schedule, whether they're online video calls, in-person sessions, or written feedback. Once you've submitted your screener and you've been selected for a project, you'll normally be emailed and texted to tell you that you have been successfully placed onto a study, and you'll then be offered a date and time to participate. I've found I can often book a slot during my lunch break or in the evening, which is really useful, but be aware that some studies are conducted by researchers outside of the UK, and therefore, in different timezones, and so you might be hoping to take your study first thing in the morning, however, the researchers might be in California, for example, and are 8 hours behind your time zone and so 9 am for you, is 1 am for them, and so they'll be asleep, and so some project might take place later in the evening, but every study is different!
Benefits for UK Participants
1. Generous Rewards
One of the most attractive aspects of Respondent is its payment structure. Participants can earn significantly more compared to traditional survey sites:
Typical payments range from £40 to £200 per project, which is pretty good! It's far from unusual to earn £50 an hour for your time, which is a great pay rate for just giving your opinion on something, and often from your sofa!
Some specialised studies can pay up to £250 for a couple of hours of participation. It depends on your experience and /or expertise as to whether you qualify for these high-paying projects. This is why it is vital to make sure your profile is detailed with your experience and strengths; whether you are a company CEO or a stay-at-home parent, your experience may well be worth big money to researchers!
The respondent will advertise market research projects with payments in US dollars, not in UK pounds (although they'll often give you a rough idea of the USD payment amount equates to in GBP). You'll be paid via PayPal, so you'll need to have a PayPal account to receive your payments. (You can set one up for free.) Although you are sent the payment in USD, PayPal easily allows you to change the currency into GBP, and you can then transfer that money to your bank account. The USD conversion rate will vary daily. PayPal takes a transaction fee from your earnings, as they do with all incoming payments (unless it's a money transfer sent from a family member). If you are earning enough to have to submit a self-assessment for your earnings, you can include this PayPal fee as an expense under bank charges, so it will help reduce your tax liabilities a little!
Respondent takes 5% of your earnings as an administration/fulfilment charge ($1 minimum), which is annoying, but it is what it is!
2. Interesting and Varied Projects
Respondent offers a diverse array of research topics, from fantasy football to luxury cars, your favourite supermarket, shopping app, food, drink, holiday destination, method of transport, or even unusual things such as if you own a boat, like camping, or if you have a particular medical condition; so often participants will find a study that's of interest, and I've certainly taken part in really interesting studies, even to the point that I'd be happy to keep going over the time slot, for free, as I'm invested in the subject matter and can gain insights into industry trends and new technologies that otherwise I might not have had a chance to get involved in.
4. Influence on Products and Services
Participants can directly impact the development of products and services from well-known brands. I've been involved in a few studies where my feedback has been taken on board and have been fed back information to say that what I've suggested has been taken up by the company involved and implemented! An idea I gave to McDonald's for the better experience of delivery drivers picking up orders for delivery to the restaurant's online customers was implemented, and I've seen it in action in my local restaurant, and that's a great thing to see, (especially as they also contacted me to say thanks and threw in some free meals for my family too!)
5. Side hustle Income Stream
While not a consistent salary, Respondent offers a flexible way to earn extra money when it suits you. There are zero guarantees that you'll pick up lots of projects; sometimes, it can take months to get a suitable project through, and other times, you might qualify for several all in a small space of time, so it is absolutely not to be considered as a primary income opportunity, as it is, like all market research companies, hit and miss as to what you may earn, which is why its important to register with as many market research projects as possible, to wide your opportunities to pick up a project! Market research projects are simply a way to make some side hustle cash! Don't forget that if you earn £1,000 a year or more in income from side hustles, you must register with the HMRC and submit a self-assessment every year to pay any applicable tax on your income.
Why Market Research is a Great Side Hustle
1. Low Barrier to Entry: Anyone with opinions and experiences can participate, regardless of specific qualifications. These types of market research companies are looking for a wide range of participants with varying skills and demographics, so there's often a project suitable for everyone!
2. Minimal Time Investment: Most studies take only a couple of hours, making it easy to fit around other commitments. You could earn some decent extra cash in your lunch break!
Tips for Success on Respondent
Create a detailed profile to increase your chances of being matched with relevant studies.
Be honest in your responses to ensure data quality and maintain your reputation on the platform. Don't blag your qualifications, and don't pretend to be knowledgable about something you have little in-depth knowledge about; if you're in a one-on-one meeting with someone and are asked questions you have zero clue about, you'll look silly, and you'll likely not be paid and may be removed from the market research project, so just be honest about what you are knowledgeable about!
Check for new opportunities regularly, as high-paying studies can fill up quickly. You will be emailed studies that might be suitable, so keep your eye out for those, but do regularly check the site for new opportunities!
Consider setting up a dedicated email address for market research communications so that you can quickly see an opportunity when it's emailed to you, especially when you are picked to participate. Slots fill up fast, so if you miss the email, you may be too late to book a time slot and won't get to participate! I'm on a Mac and set up the emails as VIPs, so they flag on my email software as important.
If you're likely to earn a decent amount of money via market research or a combination of this and other side hustle opportunities, set up a separate bank or PayPal account to easily track how much you earn. This will be handy for finding the information you need to fill out your self-assessment form if applicable, and so keeping your side hustle earnings in a separate account, away from all your day-to-day normal transactions, is a wise way to keep track of your income.
Respondent offers UK residents a useful opportunity to monetise their opinions and experiences. While it may not replace a full-time income, it provides an engaging and potentially lucrative side hustle. By participating in market research, you earn extra cash and contribute to shaping tomorrow's products and services.
You can join Respondent via our referral link here.