Can taking surveys really be fun? It may seem like surveys are just very long questionnaires that are overpopulated with checkboxes and radio buttons. It could be a daunting task, facing a series of “Next” buttons that will probably take you to “100% completed” after an hour or more. Don’t let this scare you away from the great opportunity taking surveys can be. There are actually surveys that are fun to take and rewarding. Here are some types of those surveys you may come across as you take receive invitations to participate:

Virtual store surveys

There are surveys that will take you to a virtual grocery store to check how you make purchasing decisions. It’s an online shopping simulation that lets you navigate your way through shelves, zoom in and zoom out on product labels, put items on your cart for purchase or return them back to the shelf. These types of questionnaires usually check in-store behavior that may or may not be influenced by packaging changes, aisle flow, product adjacencies, prices, and so much more.

Product test surveys

Companies want to pilot test their products before going to a bigger market. Products to test will range from cosmetics to frozen food to medications. Some companies even send expensive gadgets or household appliances to try out. What is great about this type of survey is you get to try products even before you see them on store shelves, and you get to keep the test product most of the time.

Product testing is generally a three-part survey composed of the following:

Part 1: The Invite
This portion will ask you to enter your mailing information after you have made it past the screening questions.

Part 2: The Testing
You will receive the package with the product to test right at your doorstep. Make sure to read captions, labels or instructions enclosed in the package before testing so you know what to expect during the process and can test appropriately. Always make sure the package is in the condition they have stated so the company can have testers answer from the same baseline. For instance, if you signed up for a frozen food test, please make sure it’s still frozen when you receive it; otherwise it’s better not to test it.

Part 3: The Re-contact
This is the online survey you receive in which you input your evaluation of the product you have tested. Make sure you have kept notes on what you like or don’t like and suggestions for the product.

Home scan surveys

Surveys such as this won’t require you to answer survey questionnaires. In this type of survey, you sign up with your survey company to take part in scanning your purchases. Then you download this information and send it to the survey panel once a week. This sort of scanning allows the companies to analyze brand popularity, average weight of purchase, and loyalty for its consumers.

Online focus groups

An online focus group is an interactive way for a company to collect data. You will be asked in a preliminary survey if you are available at a particular day and time. If you are able to participate at the given time, you will be given a link and access codes to join in. Once you have logged in, a chat window will open where you will be welcomed by a moderator and will be asked to wait until all expected participants are logged in. When everyone has arrived, you will answer questions and freely interact with other participants in the online meeting-type setting. For this sort of survey, you have to plan ahead of time to participate; however, these are generally worth the extra time because they will pay relatively higher than the usual questionnaire-type survey.

Survey diaries

If you agree to participate in a diary, you will be asked to reflect and write your opinions about a particular product over a period of time (weeks, months, or a year). Once you agree to take part in this type of survey, you will be receiving links to an online diary periodically in which you answer reflective questions and input your comments or suggestions for product improvement. This type of survey allows a company to keep track of how it is doing in the marketplace over a period of time. It may also help brand and marketing managers strategically plan to keep building up their brand.

Movie trailer surveys

You can participate in a type of survey where you get to take a sneak peak at movie trailers before the general public gets to see them. If you are a movie enthusiast, this is the type of survey you might really enjoy. They may ask you if you think the lighting is too dark or too light, or they could ask if the audio is too loud or just okay. Other questions might want you to evaluate the transitions and talk more about the scenes you viewed. The interesting thing about these types of surveys is that you might just see how your suggestions and comments are used when the trailer is released to national television.

Take Online Surveys

You can and will enjoy taking surveys with the bonus of earning a little extra on the side. Remember that before you sign up it is best to take caution and make sure you work with legitimate survey sites that pay. Check out the following articles for more information: “ Top Ten Ways To Tell if a Survey Site is Legitimate” and “How to Report a Fraudulent Survey Company”