Many of the experienced respondents in the world of market research started by answering simple questionnaires. I did too.
While I always enjoy sharing my opinion with the brands I care about, I can see why surveys might be boring to many people.
This is why I always make an effort to look for more unique and exciting research opportunities.
Thankfully, I stumbled upon Consumer Evaluation Center, a research facility that offers fun studies to their community.
I’ll take a closer look into them in this short CEC Research review.
What Is CEC Research?
Consumer Evaluation Center Research (or CEC Research) is a consumer product research facility based in New Jersey specializing in focus group discussions and product testing.
They have a state-of-the-art research facility that’s fully equipped with various rooms specifically designed and outfitted for commercial product testing.
Some of the best parts of their office are the laundry room for testing laundry and cleaning products, test kitchens for food tech experiments, research, and development, and comfortable seating lounges for focus group sessions and interviews.
More importantly, CEC Research is open to interested research participants. They offer monetary compensation in exchange for your opinion and time.
CEC Research Review: Is CEC Research Legit?
My usual go-to place to confirm any agency’s legitimacy is the Better Business Bureau.
Unfortunately, I didn’t find CEC Research listed. They are not on TrustPilot either.
I found them listed on Yelp, but the business remains unclaimed. The good news is I didn’t find any negative reviews posted.
Keep in mind that people are mostly motivated to post reviews after a negative experience. Hence, there are times when the absence of testimonials is better than the presence of complaints.
Failing to find posted testimonials on review sites, I moved on to check what other community members had to say about CEC Research.
You’ll be pleased to learn that they only have good things to say about the firm.
It seems that the main strength of CEC Research isn’t its online reputation but its impeccable study execution.
While I haven’t visited their site at the time of writing this article, I find the images of their headquarters really impressive.
What Are People Saying About CEC Research?
Aside from the review websites and accrediting organizations mentioned above, I also looked into what people are saying about them on social media networks.
CEC Research has a stellar reputation on Facebook. They have a rating of 4.9 stars with 41 reviews.
Below are the two most recent testimonials at the time of writing:
“Fun studies that let you earn some extra cash.”
According to another respondent:
“Love this place! Love sharing my opinion on new and exciting products! The people who work there are great and very friendly!
Can’t wait to get the chance to do more studies!”
It’s worth noting that I haven’t found a single negative comment about CEC Research anywhere.
How Does CEC Research Work?
In the end, the best way to determine whether a market research firm is legitimate is to try them out for yourself, so that’s what I did.
This way, I’ll also be able to share their process with you in this CEC Research review.
Step 1: Register as a CEC Research Participant
You should apply to become a CEC Research community member before you can participate in any of their consumer product studies.
Fill out their registration form. It’s very straightforward and shouldn’t take more than five minutes to accomplish.
Once CEC Research approves your application, you will receive a confirmation email. It will contain your membership credentials, namely your Panelist ID and PIN.
Keep them handy because CEC Research will require them for every test. You’ll also use it to log into your member account.
Step 2: Receive Study Announcements
CEC Research will send you email notifications whenever there are studies that match your profile.
The message will also include a qualifying questionnaire to ensure further that you’re the best candidate for the study.
You will be contacted again once you get accepted for the study. CEC Research will give you a list of schedules to choose from.
Committing to a date and time will hold your spot and serve as confirmation.
Step 3: Take Part in the Study
CEC Research studies take place in person. After all, most of them are sensory research where you would have to use your five senses to provide your opinion.
For instance, how does this packaging look? How does this cleaning product smell? Is this new snack delicious?
Many brands, businesses, and clients that CEC Research works with also conduct trials to predict outcomes and address safety concerns.
How to Earn Money With CEC Research
The study invitations that you will receive will also contain the payment information.
The amount of compensation you’ll receive will depend on a variety of factors, such as the effort that they’ll require from you as well as the duration of the study.
CEC Research will then pay you in the form of a customized VISA gift card after the completion of the study.
With the range of brands they cater to and the even broader spectrum of target consumers they require, there’s no way of telling how often you’ll receive study invites from them.
It can be as frequent as once a week or as seldom as once every three months.
Hence, the best way to boost your earnings is to consider joining other market research agencies.
Alternative Product Testing Companies to Check Out
Do you enjoy testing new products? CEC Research is just one of many options. Other firms that offer such research opportunities.
While it’s true that many market research firms today are limited to online tasks such as surveys and Zoom interviews, some still offer fun studies such as testing new products and services.
User Testing
User Testing is a viable option. It is one of the oldest market research agencies dedicated to consumer product testing.
What I like most about them is how they cater to the biggest brands, such as Ford, CBS, and Adobe.
You can get free product samples and get paid as well. To join, just scroll down to the bottom of their homepage.
You’ll see the words “Join today!” above the footer. Drop your email address on the form provided and click on “Get Started”.
Stan’s Gigs
You don’t have to look far for another alternative. Stan’s Gigs never runs out of sampling opportunities for you to sign-up for.
What’s more, you can get most of these products delivered straight to your doorstep.
Don’t worry. There are in-person options too, such as sensory research, clinical trials, and interviews.
Joining Stan’s Gigs is easy and will only take a few minutes. All you need to do is sign-up for my newsletter, and that’s it.
There’s no need to fill up multiple forms or repetitive questionnaires.
I also send study invites regularly. However, you have to take action as soon as possible if you want to boost your chances of getting chosen for these gigs.
Many of them have limited slots and are still subject to one’s eligibility.
The Verdict
Are you wondering whether CEC Research is an ideal product testing agency to join? Well, if you don’t mind going to their New Jersey headquarters in person, then it certainly is.
They have a fully-equipped testing facility that can accommodate various consumer products.
I’ve been in the world of market research long enough to know that it’s difficult to find such high-quality research services elsewhere.
On the other hand, there might be better options than this if you want to enjoy sampling opportunities at home.
I recommend signing up for my newsletter instead.
I hope you enjoyed my CEC review. See you in the next article!
I am a father to a beautiful baby girl, a husband and a serial gigster 🙂 I live in Toronto, Canada. My claim to fame: I made thousands of dollars from focus groups and surveys over the last 15 years. Studied Marketing in Ryerson Univerity and worked in Marketing and Marketing Research for the last 14 years+ My mission is to educate others how to be successful with side hustles. You can contact my be email or on Facebook.
