If you think of all the thousands of products that line supermarket shelves or are proudly displayed in electrical shops or online stores, you realise that each of these products has to be tested by consumers to see if it works as intended and is safe for the public to use or consume.
Manufacturers need to test their products carefully before selling them to the public, which creates an excellent opportunity for people to become product testers. Not only will they be able to use new and exciting products before they hit the shop shelves, but they will also be paid to perform the testing too.
Becoming a product tester is an excellent way to earn some additional income and we will show you how to get involved in this article.
Product testing companies
To meet the huge demand for the consumer testing of new products, there is a growing industry of product testing companies who find suitable product testers for the manufacturers.
These companies match the requirements of the product being tested with their database of testers so that the new product can be tested by consumers who are likely to be in the target market for these products.
For example, if a manufacturer wants to learn more about the market potential of expresso machines they would want their products to be tested by male and female testers in a likely age range of 25- 50 depending on the exact demographics of the target market. In this way, the views and opinions of the testers would provide an excellent insight into whether the products work well and are an attractive proposition for their intended market. This provides highly valuable market and product development information to the manufacturer, which is why the product testing market is growing worldwide.
Who can be a product tester?
Product testers generally need to in the 18 – 65 age range, although children are also required as testers by manufacturers of child centric products, but parental permission is mandatory for them to be registered as testers.
It is also important that potential product testers are not employed by advertising agencies, market research companies or by supermarkets and food manufacturers.
Male and female testers are welcome and there are no educational or income requirements in order to be registered as a product tester. It is apparent that becoming a product tester is open to a very wide range of people and is therefore an excellent way of earning extra income in an interesting way.
What products are tested?
The products to be tested vary depending on the requirements and products being developed by the manufacturers. However, in general, the majority of product testers taste new food products or test personal care products.
The tester is asked to use or taste the product, depending on what it is, and then to supply their feedback and opinions back to the manufacturer so that they can take this into account when formulating their marketing campaigns or deciding if further product development, and testing, is required.
Is it safe to test new products?
Product testing by consumers is undertaken in the later stages of the product development and innovation lifecycles so product testers will not be asked to try products which are in the experimental stage of development. The products to be tested will be safe, and the testers will potentially derive satisfaction from being involved with some significant new products that will soon hit the shop and supermarket shelves.
How to become a product tester
If you meet the requirements stated above and fancy becoming product tester then it is simple to register with a reputable product testing company. Once you have entered details about yourself, you then wait to be matched to the specific requirements of a manufacturer so that when a match occurs, you will be contacted to see if you would like to test the product on offer.
So all in all, becoming a product tester is an excellent way to earn extra money, participate in the development of new products and provide valuable feedback and opinions to help define what consumers will soon be buying.
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