When I started looking into market research companies for extra spending cash, “Is SIS International research legit?” was one of my first questions.
With a reputation for a wonderful experience, I was extremely curious to see what their focus groups were like.
After a ton of background research, I discovered some fascinating details about their focus groups and studies.
What Is SIS International Research?
SIS Research is one of the world’s leading market research firms with over 35 years of solid experience.
Their headquarters is in New York City, but I also discovered they have multiple offices worldwide, including in Toronto, Canada.
For companies, they offer full-time project management and client servicing.
You can enroll in hundreds of focus group opportunities for numerous industries as a focus group participant.
I also found they’re one of the best firms focusing on multicultural focus groups, offering Japanese, Mandarin, German, French, and Spanish services.
I found over 120 offices in different countries, offering plenty of opportunities to join focus groups and studies worldwide.
Is SIS International Research Legit?
In my opinion, the best part of looking into firms for market research projects is learning whether their services are legit or not.
I found researching SIS Research particularly easy, as there are numerous reviews to browse online speaking to their fun and dynamic environment.
For this guide, I focused primarily on popular review sites to get a good idea of what focus group participants thought.
The Better Business Bureau was my first stop. The company has a BBB rating & accreditation of “A,” which is relatively unheard of for market research companies.
After reading through BBB rating customer complaints, they respond quickly and accurately, assisting customers with finding helpful resolutions.
I also looked into TrustPilot, another hub for finding trustworthy customer reviews.
Focus group participants with SIS International Research have given the company a 4.5 out of five-star rating, speaking of a positive focus group experience.
An overwhelming number of reviews stated they had rewarding experiences with online and in-person opportunities.
I must say that between these two websites, I was pleasantly surprised to see that most reviews were positive.
How Does SIS International Research Work?
With a good understanding that SIS International Research is one of the legit companies, it was time for me to look into the registration process.
Before reviewing their services, I wanted to get hands-on experience with the available focus group offers.
Fortunately, the brilliant company makes signup remarkably easy and finds research opportunities for you.
Step 1: Register
The very first thing you’ll have to do before becoming a focus group participant is register for an account on the company’s site.
It’s a straightforward process, requiring your name, state, country, job title, and more.
At this time, there aren’t any intro surveys you’ll have to take, so registration is much faster than expected.
Step 2: Wait for Offers
SIS International Research is designed similarly to most other market research firms.
I found that they didn’t have a posting board where I could browse for and choose focus groups and surveys.
Instead, after registering, I was added to their database of potential participants.
From there, I had to wait for offers to land in my email.
It’s important to note that some offers were delivered to my spam folder, so double-check yours for potential opportunities.
Many surveys their helpful team sent me were from a consumer goods company, making them easy to answer.
Step 3: Browse the Study Archives
If you’ve found you haven’t been selected for any focus groups, you can look at current and upcoming studies on the company’s website.
Some of these studies come with a link you can use to take additional surveys to add you to different participant pools.
Other studies have been archived and cannot be applied for but are packed with interesting information.
Using the study archives, I got a good idea of how much money most of their focus groups and surveys pay.
Also, I could sign up for a couple of additional opportunities to see if I would be selected to attend.
Step 4: Attend Your Sessions
Once I was selected for focus groups and online surveys, the steps afterward were straightforward.
All I had to do was complete an entrance survey and book a specific session time that worked with my schedule.
I found the focus group sizes relatively comfortable, with about six to eight attendees per session, although the online surveys were most convenient.
There were several benefits I noticed when attending focus groups in person, such as:
- Having a fun time networking with others
- A quick interview process
- Safe research process methods
- A humane approach to gathering customer opinions
- Impressive location flexibility
- Plenty of interesting discussion topics
- An ideal form of payment method
- Team members had cross-cultural language skills
How to Earn Money With SIS International Research?
I must say, SIS International Research is one of the few companies I’ve worked with for focus groups that pays quickly.
That said, they have numerous methods of payment depending on the survey and company.
For example, some online surveys might give you points for a specific tender you collect over time.
Other opportunities may offer prepaid Visa gift cards.
I’ve even been sent cash through PayPal that I could easily withdraw.
My top recommendation is to take a quick look at the focus group or survey posting to get an idea of how you’ll get paid.
You’ll often find prepaid Visa cards to be the method of choice.
Three Alternative Sites to Explore
During my research, I’ve found troves of marketing research firms with competitive focus groups and surveys.
Here are three additional options you should consider:
Survey Feeds
Survey Feeds is a great US-based research firm with offices in San Francisco, New York, Boston, LA, and Miami.
They also specialize in online surveys and other online opportunities if you’re not near an in-person location.
I’ve signed up for web conferences, focus groups, and one-on-one interviews with competitive payouts (between $50 and $450).
American Consumer Opinion
One of North America’s most popular platforms is American Consumer Opinion.
They have over seven million users and offer many short surveys you can take at your leisure.
I also found their payment structure to be one of the best, offering checks or PayPal deposits per activity.
Stan’s Gigs
Are you tired of searching the web for legit focus groups and surveys?
I was too, which is why I developed Stan’s Gigs, an all-in-one resource for everything survey lovers needs.
Signing up for my newsletter allows you to access the best freebies, focus groups, and survey opportunities online.
SIS International Research’s Legitimacy: The Verdict
If you’re wondering, “Is SIS International Research legit?”, they’re one of the most legitimate focus group providers I’ve seen.
There’s plenty to like with multiple daily opportunities, an easy signup process, and a combo of online and in-person offers.
Also, this professional company offers payments in different tenders, making it easy to collect extra cash.
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.
