Web Design

Business spends billions of euros every year trying to convince consumers to buy their products and services. And although the major spend is in advertising, a lot of money is also spent on market research. For business to succeed, it is vital that they know how consumers think and act, what makes them tick, what makes them select one brand over another, what factors influence their purchasing decisions, what would it take to make them spend more etc etc. Understanding these factors helps companies to get a better handle on their market and ultimately, helps to improve profitability.

The internet provides a perfect platform for companies to conduct just such research - the old method of hassling people in shopping centers is a lot more resource intensive, and is much less likely to be a convenient time for the interviewer. By contrast, with online surveys, the interviewer can conduct the survey at their own pace, at a time that suits them ,and n the comfort of their own home - and what’s more, they don't need another person there to ask the questions.

An additional benefit is that the data can automatically be submitted an anaylsed, compared to the old method whereby the marketing information needed to be transcribed onto a computer system after the survey has taken place.

So for all these reasons, online surveys are definitely big business - and they market is only going to get bigger over time. This might come as quite a surprise - but there are currently estimated to be over 8 million companies worldwide that actively survey consumers to find the best way to promote their products.

The amount of money you can make taking online surveys is largely dependent on the amount of surveys you take, and the time you have to take them. Most average from 5 minutes to half an hour and the average payout is a couple of euros – so whilst completing online surveys may help boost your income, it is unlikely to make you rich in a hurry!

As with affiliate marketing, the online survey business is still relatively small in Ireland. However some of the bigger players have started using the UK companies such as ciao.