​How do I join THE PANEL?

You can register online through our website today. You can also include your dependent children on your registration form as businesses often need feedback from younger consumers as well!  Earn money just by being who you are!

How much will I get paid?

For your time and your honest opinion / actions, typically an incentive is between $50 and $150. The actual amount will vary depending upon the length of the session and what is required from you.

What happens once I have registered?

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 emailed brief details about the research of when, where, and for how long, and invited to complete a screening questionnaire. If you fill in the questionnaire, and meet the screening criteria, we may then contact you and invite you to participate. Sometimes we get too many people who qualify, so completing the questionnaire doesn’t necessarily mean we can fit you in. If you are contacted to take part, and 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.

How long does the research last?

A typical focus group is around 90 minutes, but nowadays research is done in a number of different ways, depending upon the desired outcome. A sensory (product tasting) is usually around 30 minutes, one-on-one interviews normally around an hour. More often than not research is done in the evenings, or at times convenient to you. We will always tell you how long the research will take, before asking you to commit.

Why do you want information on me?

Everything about you, the suburb you live in, whether you are working, a student, or out of the paid workforce, the type of car 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 people that businesses require. For example, if a company is wanting to research consumer reactions to a new alcoholic drink, they will want to know that you drink alcohol! Often they are looking for a mix of cities/towns around the country, so that they can get a country-wide, rural/urban view of peoples opinions.  Please note, your information is held FOR OUR PURPOSES ONLY – you WILL NOT find yourself suddenly getting emails from any other company as a result of you joining with us.

Do I need to be an expert on the product / topic?

Market research surveys are generally intended to get your honest opinions on various topics, 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.

What role does Prime Research have in the actual research?

Prime Research only recruitments people for paid market research. We don’t actually do any research as such - just facilitate it.  Typically we receive a brief from a market research department or company, about who they want to talk to. We find those people, as well as do anything else we can to make sure the project is a success. We have been providing New Zealanders to the world-wide market research industry, since 1996, and are a member of the Research Association of New Zealand.

What type of research might I be involved in?

Researchers use many techniques to gather your opinions - you may be asked to participate in a focus group, to trial existing or new products, to give your opinion on proposed new advertising material or packaging, to undertake a Zoom discussion group, to be involved in a one on one interview, complete an in-home study, or even a large centralised taste test. It depends on the requirements of the company requesting the market research. Researchers will always do their best to make it a fun, pleasant experience.

When is the research done?

Paid market research can be held at all times of the day or 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.

What type of research might I be involved in?

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 previewing 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. Researchers will always do their best to make it a fun, pleasant experience.

Why haven’t I been asked to participate in research for a while?

There could be a variety of reasons why we haven’t been in contact, or able to accept you recently. The most common reason is that your profile has not met the particular selection criteria, for the research projects we have been asked to recruit participants for lately. Or, in the case of focus groups, it may be that you have participated in a similar group within the past 6 months and so 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.

Will I be asked to pay to participate?

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 you undertake, and the time it takes for you to participate. No payment is ever required from you, though you are responsible for your own transport (including parking) to and from any focus groups you choose to participate in.

How do I know my details are secure?

Really important question - so glad you asked! You are right to be cautious, but you can rest assured that when you share your personal information with Prime Research, your data is completely secure. Our participant details are used exclusively to match the right people to the right market research activities. We do not sell your personal information to a third party.
In fact, we go to great lengths to ensure that all the details disclosed by our registered participants, remain strictly confidential.
Have you ever noticed that when you enter your personal details onto a website, a small green padlock pops up on the left in the URL bar? When you register your personal information with Prime Research, that’s what you’ll see. The green padlock indicates that you are visiting a secure website. It shows that we have met a specific set of criteria to secure what is called an Extended Validation Secure Socket Layer (EV SSL) Certificate. This means that all the information you share with our company remains private and cannot be accessed by any other source. The testing process is rigorous and we repeat it every two years. This means that all the information you share with our company remains private and is not subject to unauthorised access.

In short, we value your privacy. As a business, dependent on personal information to match participants with relevant market research recruitment projects, your confidence in us is critical.
Since 1996 Prime Research has treated the confidentiality of it’s panel members with the highest regard. We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t.
So register with confidence for our paid market research, in the knowledge that your personal information is safely between you and Prime Research.
Please contact our customer service team here if you have any questions regarding our market research recruitment services.