If there is one thing to love about the digital age, it’s that you will find endless opportunities online.
For instance, signing up for product testing can be quite challenging for in-demand products.
Even so, one can always move on to the next available offer, especially with the efforts of market research companies like Toluna.
I know what you’re thinking, though. A company giving out products for free? It sounds too good to be true.
Hence, join me as I figure out whether Toluna Product Testing is legit or not.
What Is Toluna’s Product Testing Program?
Toluna is a market research company that strategically collects consumer insights for the biggest brands.
These include Amazon, Coca-Cola, Fiat, and Kellogg’s, just to name a few.
The company made this possible through its international online community, Toluna Influencers.
You see, these popular brands need the opinion of average joes like us to develop their products and services.
Think of Toluna as the bridge between these companies and their target consumers.
As such, you can expect programs and opportunities that include (but are not limited to) surveys, interviews, and of course, product testing.
Toluna Product Testing: Legit or Not?
Toluna Product Testing programs are totally legit. In fact, I’m lucky to have been a part of their campaigns multiple times already.
If you want in on the action, you’ll be pleased to learn that they have a very easy sign-up process.
All you need to do is fill up the form on their About Page. The whole process should take less than a few minutes.
Keep in mind that they’ll be asking for more of your personal information after to match you with opportunities better suitable for you.
The Advantages
What I love about Toluna’s Product Testing programs is the system by which they do things.
It sets them apart from other market research companies.
In a nutshell, what they do is send out free products for sampling first before they require you to take a survey.
If you are a beginner, let me tell you that it’s usually done the other way around.
In addition, each participation will allow you to earn points you can redeem for various rewards, such as gift cards and even cash.
The Different Rewards Available
You will need to accumulate at least a thousand points before you can redeem any of the rewards below.
- Shopping GCs
With Toluna’s product testing programs, you will have a selection of different GCs you can redeem to shop for anything.Â
These include Amazon, Walmart, and Sephora.
Most of their GCs come with a $10 value, but you can redeem higher-value GCs multiple times as long as you have enough points for them.
- Food GCs
Yes, Toluna can also treat you to dinner with their food GCs. Some of my personal favorites include Cheesecake Factory and Chili’s.
- Entertainment GCs
If you don’t feel like enjoying free meals, how about free entertainment? Toluna also offers iTunes and Redbox GCs.
- Causes and Charities
Are you devoted to certain causes? Toluna has got you covered on that end, as well.Â
You can use your points to plant trees and (at least at the time of writing this article) even send help over to Ukraine.
- PayPal
Finally, you can convert your points into cash via PayPal. Much like their GCs, withdrawals can be made in $10 increments.
The Disadvantages
As with any other company out there, Toluna isn’t perfect. Its programs also have a few disadvantages.
One of my biggest pet peeves, for instance, is that you won’t be able to find any information about their available offers elsewhere.
You need to be a member of their community before you get access to their sampling offers.
It is also why I can’t share their currently available samples with you, no matter how much it pains me.
Another downside is because they’re working with the most popular brands, they tend to be overly selective of each program’s participants.
In other words, you won’t qualify for their sweetest deals most of the time unless it was tailor-made for someone like you.
For this reason, I highly recommend answering your eligibility questionnaires truthfully, as you’ll never know who Toluna is looking for.
Lastly, because they are highly selective for each offer, it will take a while to accumulate the points you need if you have a particular reward in mind.
For instance, a $50 Starbucks eGift Card will require 150,000 points.
Stan’s Gigs
While I’m not saying that Stan’s Gigs is better than Toluna, I am pretty proud that I have a lot of product sampling offers at any given time.
Just check out my newest samples page to see what is currently available. Also, your options are not limited to the brands that Toluna partners with.
I work with different market research companies, brands, and other members of the sampling community directly.
This way, I can give my subscribers first dibs on exclusive deals other people will have a hard time finding elsewhere.
That said, each offer is still subject to their availability.
As these programs tend to have limited spots at a time, I recommend signing up for my newsletter to stay constantly updated.
Pros:
- Wide selection of brands and products for sampling
- High-quality products
Con:
- Eligibility and availability will vary
Enjoy Free Product Samples From Toluna
Indeed, Toluna is one of the biggest market research companies today. Just take a look at the roster of brands that they cater to.
It’s no wonder they have a massive online community of willing participants.
They also have a way of doing things that I’m sure many sampling fans will appreciate.
For one, you will receive the products first before being required to answer surveys. It’s something that you won’t see elsewhere.
As I have pointed out above, we are talking about a massive online community we constantly have to compete for slots, especially for high-value products.
Hence, if product samples are what you’re after, you can sign up for my newsletter instead.
It will free you from the need to constantly check on your sampling platforms to see if there are offers currently available to you.
After all, I’ll send these updates directly to your email (and as they come) to prevent wasting time and increase your chances of getting accepted.
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.
