Survey Merchandiser (survey.com)
Survey Merchandiser (survey.com) Review
Survey Merchandiser is a mobile app that claims to offer its users an opportunity to earn money by completing simple tasks such as taking photos of products, checking prices, and answering surveys in various stores. The app is operated by survey.com, a company that provides market research services to businesses. That sounds like a good deal, right? Well, not quite. In this review, I will expose the pros and cons of Survey Merchandiser.
Andrew: Andrew is one of our reviewers who’s been with HuginX the longest. With a background in membership support at one of the largest survey companies, Andrew has a lot of inside knowledge of the Market Research industry and has helped us refine our reviewing criteria. When Andrew is not working with reviews, he likes to go hiking with his dog Charlie.
Is Survey Merchandiser a legit site?
We run through a number of checks to find out if a site is legit. Here are the most important ones:
- Do they ask for a fee to join or access paid tasks? No, it’s free to sign up.
- Do they ask for sensitive information like credit card details? No, they use a third-party payment portal called Open Force.
- Do they have a lot of negative reviews and complaints from users? Yes, survey.com has a lot of negative reviews and complaints from users on various platforms including Trustpilot and App Store.
- Do they have a low payout rate and a high minimum cashout threshold? No, the minimum payment is only $5 which is considered low in comparison with many other sites.
While Survey Merchandiser is legit as such, there are some red flags linked to the high number of complaints which we will delve into below.
What’s the concept?
This app connects you with paid retail services gigs that range from 15-minute product audits to price checks at local retail stores. You get to choose when and where you work, and you get paid through the 3rd party payment platform Openforce. That sounds like a good deal, right? Well, not so fast. Before you sign up for this app, you should be aware of some of the pros and cons of working as a merchandiser for Survey.com.
In December 2020, survey.com was acquired by Trax Retail, a leading provider of computer vision solutions for retail. The acquisition aimed to enhance Trax’s capabilities in-store execution, merchandising, and analytics.
Survey Merchandiser Dashboard showing available gigs
How do Survey Sites operate?
New to survey sites? Here is a quick guide to 10 key steps they take when inviting participants to market research projects.
Survey Sites explained in 10 steps
1. Client requests survey participants
A client requests survey participants for a market research project.
2. A target-group is selected
Based on the profiling information you have provided, a sub-set of panelists will be eligible and selected to participate.
3. Participants are invited
Panelists with qualifying profiles will be invited to participate, usually through email invitation or push notification on mobile.
4. Screening of participants
Upon clicking the invitation link, you'll go through a set of screening questions before you are fully qualified to participate.
5. Participants take the survey
As a participant you'll answer a number of questions. The survey could be about anything from consumer brands and entertainment to healthcare and business topics.
6. Your answers are checked
After you have answered all the questions diligently, you'll get a confirmation if your submission has been approved. You'll sometimes need to wait for a researcher to have gone through your submission before you get a confirmation.
7. Your reward is allocated
After the survey, you'll also get a confirmation on the incentive you have earned. The rewards vary from site to site, but is often based on virtual points or simply a cash amount for each survey.
8. Meeting the redemption threshold
Most survey sites don't allow you to withdraw your reward straight away, but will require you to earn a minimum amount before withdrawing your hard earned reward.
9. Filling out your payment information
If you opt to receive your reward through PayPal or bank transfer, remember that your name and address must also match your profile on the survey site.
10. Redeeming your reward
Once you meet the redemption threshold you can withdraw your reward, which is usually in the form of PayPal credits, bank-transfer, Amazon-vouchers, or other types of gift-cards.
3 common types of complaints about Survey Merchandiser
There are three key complaints which are common among its users:
1. Double bookings:
Survey Merchandiser will often assign multiple gig workers for the same job, and only approve the job from the first person to complete the assignment. This can be extremely frustrating for users who have spent time completing the project but will receive a cancellation in the middle of their work.
Example of Merchandiser users complaining about double bookings on the App Store
2. Unfair quality control:
A very strict and unfair quality control system often leads to rejected reports for minor or arbitrary reasons. For example, some users have reported that their reports were rejected because their photos were slightly blurry, their answers were too short or too long, or they did not follow the exact instructions. Sometimes, the app even rejects reports for reasons that are beyond the user’s control, such as the store being closed, the product being out of stock, or the display being changed. When a report is rejected, the user does not get paid and may even get a negative rating that affects their future opportunities.
3. Poor user support:
Survey Merchandiser rarely responds to user complaints or inquiries. Many users have reported that they never received a reply from the app’s support team when they contacted them about their rejected reports, missing payments, technical issues, or other problems. Some users have even reported that their accounts were suspended or deleted without any explanation or warning. The app’s website and social media pages are also full of negative reviews and comments from frustrated and angry users who feel cheated and ignored by the app.
What about the app itself?
When it comes to user experience, Survey.com’s Merchandiser app can be a mixed bag. On the one hand, the app is easy to navigate and the project instructions are generally straightforward. On the other hand, the app can be quite glitchy and the process of claiming projects can be frustrating, especially if you encounter technical difficulties. Additionally, the app often provides vague information about the expected duration of projects, which can be inconvenient for users who need to plan their schedules. Despite these issues, the app does offer a decent selection of projects to work on and the pay is reasonable for the amount of work required.
How much can you make on Survey.com?
Survey.com claims to pay its users an average of $5 to $20 per project. However, it is important to note that payment for projects is only received 6 days after the submission of deliverables, assuming that the submission is approved by the platform. Even after the payment appears in your Merchandiser account balance, you can only withdraw your earnings if they are at least $5 through their payment system called Openforce. It is worth noting that some users have complained about issues with payment processing and delays, so it is important to keep track of your earnings and ensure timely payment.
The earning potential of Survey.com’s Merchandiser app is largely dependent on the availability of projects, which, unfortunately, you have no control over. The app may be suitable for those in major cities but for those in smaller towns or cities, earning anything from the platform is unlikely.
To continue earning from the platform, it is recommended to only claim projects that you are ready to work on. Failure to complete projects after six hours of claiming them will negatively affect your Reliability Rating. If your rating drops below 2.5, you won’t be able to claim any projects anymore, and you’ll have to wait for Merchandiser to assign you a project in order to earn. This can be rare, so it’s crucial to complete the claimed projects.
While Survey.com offers a rate of $5 to $20 for each completed project, it may not be worth the time spent travelling to and from locations. Thus, the earning potential of this platform may not be significant.
Summary – Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Low payment threshold: You can request a payment as soon as your assignments are approved, which usually takes six days after you complete them. You don’t have to wait for a monthly or biweekly paycheck, and you can cash out whenever you need some money.
- Simple-to-use app: The app is easy to navigate and shows you the available projects in your area, along with the requirements, deadlines, and pay. You can claim or request projects in the app, and follow the instructions that include photos, diagrams, and examples. The app also keeps track of your earnings and lets you request payments.
- Flexibility: You don’t need to commit to anything. It’s 100% up to you to decide on each assignment.
Cons:
- Earning opportunities are limited: Depending on your location, you might not find many projects available in your area, or they might be too far away to be worth your time and gas money. Some projects are also very competitive and get claimed quickly by other merchandisers, so you have to be fast and flexible to get them.
- Travelling expenses are not covered: You are responsible for your own transportation costs, such as gas, tolls, parking, and public transit fares. These expenses can add up quickly and eat into your profits, especially if you have to travel long distances or to multiple locations for a project.
- Gig workers are often double booked: Sometimes, Survey.com assigns the same project to more than one merchandiser, which can result in wasted time and frustration. You might show up at a store only to find out that someone else has already completed the project, or that the store manager is not expecting you or does not want you there.
- User support is poor: Many users have complained about the lack of communication and responsiveness from Survey.com’s support team. If you have any issues or questions about a project, you might not get a timely or helpful answer from them. You might also encounter problems with getting paid correctly or on time, or with getting your assignments approved or rejected without a clear reason.
- The quality control process is very strict: Survey.com has a high standard for quality and accuracy when it comes to completing projects. If you make any mistakes or miss any details, your assignment might get rejected and you won’t get paid for it. You also have to follow their specific guidelines for taking photos and entering data, which can be tedious and time-consuming.
Top Rated Panels
- Transparent payment system
- Low redemption level
- High incentives compared to regular consumer survey sites
- Good selection of payment options
- Interesting survey opportunities
- High qualification rate
- Simple user interface
- Surveys are not always mobile-friendly
- Complex questions which can take a lot of concentration and time to fill out
- Free to join
- Earn referral commissions
- Fair incentive level
- Good survey experience
- Professional MR company
- There is no signup bonus
- The minimum payout threshold is high
- PayPal and bank redemptions can take up to 30 working days to process
- Owned by one of the largest market research companies
- Above average payout per survey
- A low threshold to redeem rewards
- Easy to qualify for surveys
- Low volume of survey opportunities
- Technical glitches using the Pinecone Research app
- No payout threshold
- Gives loyalty credit if you do not qualify for a survey
- Above-average incentive levels
- Limited earning opportunities
- Hard to qualify and low pay for partner surveys
- Free products sent home for testing (iHUT)
- Above-average incentive levels
- Good survey experience
- Interesting survey opportunities well matched with demographics and interests
- Support for users could be faster
- Many profiling questions to fill out
- Not possible to sign-up for the panel unless invited
- No cash incentives
This is how we review gigs
Disclosure: While HuginX is editorially independent, we may earn commissions on sign-up links.
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