Participating in research studies is interesting, rewarding and fun! Our studies gather opinions and attitudes from consumers and professionals on a wide range of products, services, and concepts. Studies are typically held at our office in Charlotte, located near Pineville, and we always compensate participants for their time.
AOC Marketing Research will never attempt to sell you anything; we are interested only in your opinions. We will never sell or give your information to a third party and the only calls or emails you will receive from us will be to request or confirm your participation in a research study. In rare instances, a research client may want to contact participants directly which we only allow with the express consent of the participant.
We are committed to safeguarding the privacy of all participants in our research studies and everyone who registers with us. Personal information is asked for statistical purposes only and survey responses are viewed in aggregate with the responses of other participants. Access to respondent information is strictly limited to trained research professionals at AOC.
So that you can be considered for all our studies, complete our registration form. Registration is free and the information is kept confidential – please see our privacy statement.
We contact people from our data bank, from special lists provided by our clients, and at random. Our clients want a variety of opinions from people with different socio-economic backgrounds and from different geographic areas. We have gender, age, income, ethnicity, and other quotas so we can accurately represent the population and the client’s core audience.
Participating in a research study is a fun and interesting way to learn about new products, concepts, and services and to help influence their development. It gives you the opportunity to influence the direction of the marketplace. All of our studies pay you for your participation.
Yes. When corporations hire us, they want opinions from people in Charlotte and the surrounding areas including Concord, Huntersville, Gastonia, Fort Mill, Rock Hill, etc. Most studies are held at our facility near Pineville.
AOC accepts registrations for people age 18 and older. If you have kids over the age of 18, please ask them to register separately. If you have children under the age of 18 and would like them to be considered for studies, be sure to enter their birth dates and genders when you register. When we have studies for children, we call parents to ask for permission for the child to participate.
Like age, race, or household income? For most of our research studies, we are required to invite a mix of people who represent the population in our area or our client’s core audience. This information is kept confidential and is asked for statistical purposes only. Study responses are viewed only in aggregate with the responses of other participants.
No, there are only a few basic fields that are required. However, keep in mind that the more questions you answer the greater the likelihood we will contact you. For example, if we are currently working on a project with people who have a pet or a child, we will start by contacting people who have answered those questions.
Thank you for registering with us! As soon as you submitted your registration, your information went into our secure database and you are now considered for all our studies. When we begin working on a project that matches your information, we will email you a survey to see if you meet the criteria of the study. If you do, we will then call you to ask some questions, confirm the date and time with you, and email you a confirmation. If you do not meet the criteria for the immediate study, you will be considered for other studies.
No. AOC typically calls from randomly generated lists of registered people that match the basic criteria of our studies. Occasionally, we will send emails to alert you about certain studies. We contact you to participate in studies; we do not accept call-ins.
We are always doing research, but everyone does not qualify for every project. Our current topics of study may be for people of a different age, gender, occupation, etc. We also track your past participation and will call you when you qualify. Remember, we can only include you in our studies if we can reach you via phone and email. So, please let us know if your contact information has changed.
Visit our online registration form and complete the required (*) fields. You can then add just your updated information without completing the entire form. When you click submit at the end of the form, the new information you provide will automatically override the old information in our system.
You could be asked to participate in any of the following types of studies:
A Focus Group is a round-table discussion on products, services, and concepts. The discussions are moderated by research professionals and you participate with as few as 4 and as many as 12 people seated around a table. These sessions are held at our facility and usually last between 1-2 hours. Clients view the discussion by use of a two-way mirror and groups are usually recorded for research purposes only.
In a One-on-One Interview, you are interviewed individually by a trained professional interviewer at our facility. Clients may view the discussion by use of a two-way mirror and the session may be recorded for research purposes only.
In a Self-Administered Study, you evaluate a product, service, or concept at our facility or another location either on paper, a computer or tablet.
A Taste Test is where you sit with a group of people and evaluate the taste and characteristics of specific products. Your opinions may be recorded on a paper questionnaire, a computer or tablet.
In a Product Usage Study, you will typically come to our facility to pick up a product and use it at home for a specified period of time, then return to our facility to complete a questionnaire or complete it at home by phone or online.
In a Theatre or Classroom Style Study you sit with a group of 15 or more people and evaluate a product, service, or concept. Your opinions may be recorded on a paper questionnaire, a computer, a tablet, or with a dial tester.
For In-Home Interviews, a client or group of clients will visit you in your home to observe and discuss usage of products that you own or regularly purchase. Many of these sessions are recorded for research purposes only.
Yes, all our studies compensate people for their time and opinions. You will receive a gift of appreciation after completing the study, usually in the form of a prepaid MasterCard.
The amount you receive depends on the topic and the length of the survey. A short, simple study could pay $30; a longer, more complex study could pay $175 or more.
Depending on the study, there could be no waiting period or a waiting period of three months, six months, or one year before you can participate in another study.
AOC uses strict measures to ensure that every aspect of your information is held highly confidential and secure. The information we gather such as your name, address, gender, birthday, and employment status is used to match you with the appropriate research studies. Access to personal information is restricted and limited to key personnel on a need-to-know basis. AOC will never ask you for private information such as your credit card or social security number. We do not share your information with third parties. The input you provide in research projects is used only in aggregate to fulfill the statistical needs of our clients. See our privacy statement for complete details.
No. You should never be asked for any money to participate in a research study. Unfortunately, there are some companies that promise “paid surveys” if you join for a fee. No one who charges you money for research or who asks for your credit card or social security number is running a legitimate business. You know we are legitimate because we are members of the Insights Association, our contact information is publicly available. We ask you for your opinions and nothing else.
Absolutely! We appreciate referrals of friends, family members, and business associates. If you know someone who would like to be contacted directly to participate in paid research studies, they should complete our registration form.
You may opt out any time by sending an email requesting removal to info@aocresearch.com or by calling us at 704-341-0232. Please allow two or three business days for processing.
AOC Marketing Research will never attempt to sell you anything; we are interested only in your opinions. We will never sell or give your information to a third party and the only calls or emails you will receive from us will be to request or confirm your participation in a research study. In rare instances, a research client may want to contact participants directly which we only allow with the express consent of the participant.