BzzAgent Review: Free Stuff for Testing Products?

Around a year or so ago, I got to know about a site named BzzAgent. My natural reaction was to be a little wary. A legitimate website on the internet these days is becoming a rarity. This is borne out by the fact that there are so many sites cropping up every other day with the sole aim of scamming people and wasting their time.

But, nonetheless, I found the site very interesting, so in order to do a review of it, I gave the site a try to see what it was all about.

 

About the Company

Mainly a social marketing company, BzzAgent was founded in 2001. Since its inception, the company has successfully conducted more than 1,500 research programs for a variety of companies like Wrigley, Unilever, L’Oreal, Michelin etc.

In the process, the company has also developed a wide base of online panel participants, whose count is more than 8, 00,000 now. They also have a very active panel in UK. Their success got many other companies interested in this field and they now have lots of competitors.

BzzAgent chooses to hand over products to the many thousand real consumers out there followed by helping them to share opinions on those products with family, friends, and acquaintances through Facebook posts, videos and pictures, blogs and many more.

 

BBB Rating

BBB gives the site a rating of D on a scale of A+ to F. And as for complaints against the site, there have been only 1 single complaints in the last 3 years. I think that speaks volumes about the kind of company BzzAgent Inc. is.

How It Works

The whole system is based on testing products before introducing them to the market, which is another form of consumer market research.

You register to become an agent. Next, you need to take some surveys that are available on your BzzAgent account’s homepage. These are very short surveys (can be finished in under a minute if you are quick) and help glean more information about you as an agent apart from sorting the products that are most suitable for you.

It might be a while before you are offered the chance to take up your first campaign for BzzAgent. I was lucky as I got mine almost instantly, but there are cases where people had to wait for close to 2 months before being invited.

Once the site finds a match for your profile, you will be intimated through email. You can choose to decline this if it doesn’t interest you. Doing so will have no adverse impact on the chances of being invited to future campaigns.

In fact, I declined some myself. A recent one I refused was based on a video gaming home system with the downside that the site was charging a $30 fee for shipping the product. This is not usual with the site and it normally does not charge members any such fee.

Once you accept the invitation to participate in something, around a week later the product shows up at your doorstep. Mind you, these are FULL SIZE products and almost give you the Christmas feel.

You are supposed to use these products for some days and formulate your opinion of them.

Next, you spread the news about the product among your friends. In fact, this remains the actual purpose of this exercise; to get word of mouth publicity.

It’s also quite sensible as you are likely to trust your friend more than the advertiser’s word when it comes to advice regarding a certain purchase.

Some of the ways to get the word out include Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, BzzAgent’s in-house review system and even your own blog.

Whether you the like the product or not, just make sure the world knows about it. Your honesty is the key aspect here.

At the end, you are required to create a “BzzReport” on the tried-out products/services and how you pushed them among people you know. I would say the whole exercise is a wonderful way to try out a lot of awesome stuff and that too free of charge. It’s perfect for me!

I registered some time ago and accepted to be part of three campaigns. In return, I was given two tickets (completely free) to the Museum of Fine Arts, which I guess is all about having me experience the newly opened up wing.

Ladies can make a killing from this as a lot of health, beauty and other household products can be had for free in this manner. It usually doesn’t take a lot of time before you start receiving products for reviewing.

 

Ranking System

BzzAgent follows a ranking methodology whereby the most active people (who are also the top ranked) get a lot more opportunities to be part of BzzCampaigns than less active (and subsequently lower ranked) people. These ranks are described below;

• Tier 1 Solitary Bee
• Tier 2 Carpenter Bee
• Tier 3 Busy Bee
• Tier 4 Honey Bee
• Tier 5 Social Bee
• Tier 6 Sweet Bee

Rewards

After you send the BzzReport, the site approves it. Although this process can stretch over 2 days, off late the approvals have been arriving very quickly.

You will receive a nice-looking personal email containing a link. This is the link that will direct you to a “your stuff” page, which is the incentive you gain for submitting your BzzReport. I really do like this part!

For every individual BzzReport that you submit, you are awarded 50 My Points. These points can then be used at MyPoints.com, which is a site that helps you get free gift cards to quite a few good online stores. I reviewed that site recently as well and you can read the review here.

MyPoints are also on offer for answering profile questionnaires (amount of points varies) and completing surveys after campaigns (30 points).

 

Other Reviews of BzzAgent.com

I researched around a bit to know more about other people’s views on BzzAgent. Mostly, the voices were positive. Below is a summary of what different people had to say about the site:

• I became part of this program in May last year and since then, got invited to a few campaigns. The entire participation routine of this program is quite unique and fun. To me, this indeed is a great marketing idea where true direct interaction between consumers and product developers is made possible. In all, the job of a BzzAgent is very rewarding and fun as you are able to try products that will hit the market soon enough. There is also the fact that you can help improve the said products/services by providing your own feedback for the same.
• Keep in mind that your participation in more programs is directly related to your “reputation”. That’s why it’s important that you do well in your initial programs! My first invitation was for Redbox Instant, a Verizon product. That wasn’t such a big deal but now I’m patiently awaiting the invite for Kashi Hummus Chips. Yes, I can’t wait to taste them… for FREE mind you!
• A member of my family has received almost 3 full boxes of different stuff from the site. Although I too was considered by the site for this free stuff upon registration, I decided against claiming it as it didn’t have use for me. But after that, the site hasn’t considered me for any particular thing either. So, if you are that hard-slogging mom with ample networking skills, BzzAgent is highly recommended from my side.
• Having been a member for nearly 4 months, the site has sent me 3 campaigns. I really love the whole idea of trying out products for the site as it really is easy. You complete certain surveys and in return, the site sends you products as per the completed surveys.

 

Bottom Line

I can say with confident that BzzAgent is a legitimate site. However, I wouldn’t count on it as a way to earn substantial amount of money. That said, it’s a great way for stay at home moms, college students and anybody who is looking for extra income opportunities, to earn a few extra dollars.