The operational picture

How we actually test.

Everything we do starts from one belief: your customers already know what works, and almost nobody asks them. This page is how we ask them properly. Who tests, how a project runs, what stays private, what gets published, and what it costs.

01 · Testers

The people behind "real testers."

Every test is built around the audience you need to hear from. We do not run products through a generic pool. We define the profile for the project, then match testers to the brief.

3000+

Active testers

Vetted, returning testers who run products in real conditions.

Europe
+ US/CA

Geographic reach

Primarily across Europe, with active presence in the United States and Canada.

100%

Anonymous

To the public and to the client. Identity never leaves Zandora.

How we match testers to a project.

Tester vetting is part of defining the project. Before we open a test, we narrow down the profile we want against the variables that actually shape product experience: geography, gender, orientation, age, relationship status, and any product-specific criteria a brief calls for.

For most pilots we run an open test where anyone in the pool can apply. For full tests, prototype work, and anything with tight criteria, we handpick. You can ask us to narrow further. European only. German only. Couples only. Long-term users of a comparable product. We will tell you honestly whether the pool can support the cut you want.

The pool and its demographic spread grow month by month. Cuts that were borderline six months ago are comfortable today, and we are adding testers in new regions and profiles continuously.

How testers appear in reporting.

Testers are anonymous to the public and to the client. They are identified only by demographic shorthand. Where it adds context to the feedback, we surface relevant detail: testing with a partner, orientation, experience level with the category. Nothing more.

Standard tester identifier
Female, 35, DE

With additional context where relevant: "Female, 35, DE, tested with partner" or "Male, 42, SE, long-term lubricant user."

02 · Formats & contexts

Two ways to test. Several reasons to.

Every engagement starts with two questions. Are we testing one product, or comparing several? And at what stage of its life is the product, what are you trying to learn? The format and the context together define the test.

Format A

Single product testing

One product, or one product line, assessed on its own capabilities. The default format for a launch review, a category entry, or a deep evaluation of a single SKU. We map performance, usability, design, and fit against the audience the product is built for.

Format B

Comparative testing

Two or more products tested head-to-head, by the same testers, against the same criteria. Useful for category positioning, market-gap analysis, or honestly placing your product against the competition before you commit to a campaign claim.

Each format can be commissioned in any of these contexts:

The context determines what the output looks like, and who it is for.

Standard testing

Released product, market-facing. The full deliverable: insight, proof and content, plus a published review article.

Published review

Prototype / early testing

Pre-production product. Feedback before the design is locked. Run with NDA. Output stays inside your team.

Internal report

Pre-upgrade testing

An existing product you are considering changes to. Tests the current design against the audience to inform the next version. Run with NDA. Output stays inside your team.

Internal report

UI testing

Buttons, controls, companion apps. Where small friction shapes satisfaction. Runs on prototype or shipping product.

Internal report

OEM / ODM testing

The same testing, for manufacturers. Get real market feedback on a product before you take it to brands, and use real-user testimonials in your pitch, sales decks and trade show materials.

B2B testimonial package

Custom

Other variants on request. Mixed-context engagements, multi-stage programmes, ongoing tester relationships. Scoped on the call.

Scoped per engagement

Other ways we work

Continuous feedback

Feedback over time, from your own buyers. A code inside the box takes buyers to our platform, where they review the product the same way our testers do. We filter out unserious responses, process the rest and update your reports every month. It shows what a single test window can't: how a product holds up in real hands over months.

Monthly reporting

Running your own tests? Brands can use our platform to run testing with their own customers or their own tester pool. Ask us about it.

Bigger than one product? See Research.

03 · Process & timing

Five stages, typical durations attached.

Timelines vary by project. What does not vary is the shape of the work. Below is how a standard test runs end-to-end, with the durations partners can plan against. A typical full test runs five to six weeks from brief to delivered report.

01

Application

The test goes live on our tester portal. It can be public, where anyone in the pool applies, or private, where we hand-pick and invite. Geographic and demographic filters are set here. Testers who have flagged interest in the category get notified by email when applications open.

Partner choice: public vs. private, and how narrow the audience filter is.

Typical duration ~4 days Application window to gather candidates.
02

Selection

We pick the testers for the number of slots on the test. Usually the Zandora team handles this against the agreed brief. For tests with special requirements we run selection as a collaboration. For prototype and pre-launch tests where the output is internal-only, the partner can take direct control of selection.

Partner choice: hands-off, collaborative, or partner-controlled.

Typical duration ~3 days From application close to confirmed tester list.
03

Shipping

Products are distributed to the selected testers. Normally handled by Zandora. The brand can also handle shipping directly when supply chain or unit control calls for it.

Partner choice: Zandora ships, or you ship.

Typical duration ~1 week Varies with geographic spread.
04

Testing window

Testers use the product over the agreed period and submit feedback through our tester portal. The window is set by what the product needs. Fast tests (lubricants, consumables, immediate-response products) can run three to four days. Complex programmes (long-term wear, partnered use, multi-feature toys) can run four to six weeks.

Typical: two weeks. Long enough for testers to use the product several times before reviewing.

Typical duration 2 weeks Range: 3 days to 6 weeks, set per product.
05

Processing & reporting

Reviews come in. We synthesise. The full deliverable brings together insight for your product team, proof for your marketing and content for your channels. Duration depends on the number of testers and the number of reports the engagement calls for.

Reference points: pilots typically report in 1 week. Full tests typically report in 2 weeks.

Typical duration 1–2 weeks Scales with tester count and report scope.
End-to-end, typical standard test
~5–6 weeks from brief to delivered report
Express tests can run as fast as 1½–2 weeks when timing is critical. Shipping duration is the deciding variable. Fast-format tests typically compress to under three weeks. Complex programmes extend. We commit to a timeline at brief.
04 · Confidentiality & rights

What stays private, what you get to use.

Tester anonymity is absolute. Product confidentiality is configurable. Zandora always holds the rights to material the test produces, and grants partners a royalty-free license to use it. The scope of the license is what shifts between a pilot and a full engagement.

Tester anonymity

Identity never leaves Zandora.

Testers are anonymous to the public and to the client. They appear in reports as demographic shorthand. No names. No photos that could identify them. No contact details cross over.

NDA handling

Built into the application.

For prototype, early and pre-upgrade testing, NDA sign-off is part of the tester application. By the time we select, every confirmed tester has signed. No products move before the paperwork is in place.

Rights at source

Testers transfer rights to Zandora.

All review content, images, and video submitted by testers is transferred in full to Zandora at the point of submission. This is the baseline that makes the rest of the rights structure workable.

License for partners

Royalty-free, scope set by engagement.

Every engagement comes with a royalty-free license to use tester material in your own marketing. Full tests grant full access to quotes, images, and stories. Pilots grant a selected set partners can use in marketing and on packaging. The rights themselves stay with Zandora throughout.

Engagement type
License to partner
What partner can use
Pilot
License to partnerRoyalty-free, selected quotes and stories
What partner can useMarketing and packaging.
Standard test
License to partnerRoyalty-free, full access to quotes, images, and stories
What partner can useMarketing, packaging, and owned channels.
Continuous feedback
License to partnerRoyalty-free, full access, same as a standard test
What partner can useMarketing, packaging, and owned channels.
Prototype / pre-upgrade
License to partnerInternal use only, under NDA
What partner can useNothing published by either side.
OEM / ODM
License to partnerRoyalty-free, B2B distribution rights
What partner can useB2B sales materials, brand pitches, trade decks.
Research study
License to partnerFull use of all data and findings about your product
What partner can useEverything relating to your product. General trends across the study feed Zandora's background knowledge.
05 · Editorial

What gets published, and what does not.

Our integrity as a testing service depends on a simple principle. Publication is the default for every test designed to be published. The type of test, set at brief, determines whether an article is part of the deliverable.

01

Standard tests are published.

Every standard test produces a review article. Some get front-page placement. Others go into our published archive. Placement varies. The fact of publication does not. A weak result is still published. It just isn't featured. Pilots are published like any other test.

02

Prototype, pre-upgrade, and UI tests are private by design.

No article is produced. The whole point of these engagements is internal learning before a product is locked or upgraded. Scoping determines outcome. If you need a private result, the test is commissioned as internal from the start.

03

OEM / ODM tests produce B2B material, not consumer articles.

The deliverable is a testimonial package for use in brand pitches and trade materials. Not published on Zandora. Used by the manufacturer in their own sales process.

04

Inconclusive results are run again.

Sometimes testers misunderstand how a product is meant to be used, so the test doesn't measure what it should. When that happens we call the result inconclusive, fix the instructions with you, and run the test again.

06 · Research

Studies we run, and studies you commission.

Some questions need more than one product. Our research studies put many products in front of the same testers over a longer period, to find patterns no single test can show.

Join a study we run

We design and run the study. You contribute products to the open slots and receive the partner report.

Commission your own

You bring the question. We design the study around it, recruit the testers and report back.

Now recruiting partners

The 2027 Cross-Category Study

20 to 30 testers, each testing 10 to 15 products across 11 categories. The question: how do preferences in one category predict preferences in another?

Learn more

Key dates

Category mix lockedEnd of December 2026
Products needed by14 January 2027
TestingFebruary to March 2027
Partner reportApril 2027
Public findingsEnd of April 2027

What you keep: all data and findings about your product. General knowledge and trends from the study become part of our background knowledge.

Pricing: priced per study.

07 · Pricing

Predictable where it can be, honest where it can't.

The pilot is a standing offer. Standard testing scales on a published ladder. Anything outside that ladder is quoted directly. All prices in EUR.

Standing offer

Pilot · €400

Credited in full against your first project. A low-barrier introduction to how we test: you see the full process and a complete deliverable.

What the pilot includes

  • 2–3 tester samples
  • 1 lottery sample
  • Product article
  • Quotes & user stories
  • Pros & cons
  • Sample internal report

Shipping setup: partner ships all samples to Zandora HQ in Denmark. Zandora distributes from there. Partner covers product cost, shipping to HQ, customs duties, import VAT, and any other import-related charges.

Pilots are published like any other test.

Standard testing tiers

The tier you fall into depends on tester count, not test type. Any of the contexts in section 02 can be delivered at any tier, scoped to fit.

We recommend 40 or more testers for a high-confidence read. Smaller tests give a clear indication. Size the test to the decision it supports.

Tier 1
4–10 testers
From €900 €900 base + €50 per tester (Zandora-handled shipping)
Example · 7 testers
When Zandora handles shipping€1,250
When you handle shipping€900
Reporting depth

Core reporting. Quotes, themes, and structured pros & cons. Marketing or internal output appropriate to the test type.

Tier 3
30–50 testers
From €3,900 €3,900 base + €50 per tester (Zandora-handled shipping)
Example · 40 testers
When Zandora handles shipping€5,900
When you handle shipping€3,900
Reporting depth

Adds strategic observations, trend analysis, and an optional debrief or presentation.

The deliverable shape depends on test type.

Standard tests and OEM/ODM tests produce all three: insight, proof and content, plus an internal report shaped to the type. Standard tests also include a published test article.

Prototype, pre-upgrade, and UI tests produce insight only: a targeted internal report. Scope is agreed at brief. Significant additions beyond the agreed scope may trigger an add-on.

Beyond the ladder · custom

Quoted on request

Projects outside the standard tier ladder are quoted individually. Special requirements may also trigger add-on pricing within a tier. Either way, the conversation starts with a brief and ends with a written proposal. Research studies, continuous feedback and platform access are quoted separately. Continuous feedback is priced from the goals and reporting plan we agree at the start.

Shipping & logistics

Shipping & logistics · two options

Partners with their own logistics can save the €50 per-tester handling fee. At higher tester counts this is a meaningful difference.

Option A

Zandora-handled

€50 per tester sample

Zandora coordinates the full tester logistics chain. Recommended when you want a hands-off engagement or do not have international shipping infrastructure.

  • Tester coordination and selection comms
  • Logistics administration and shipment monitoring
  • Tester-side support and troubleshooting

Shipping outside Europe may require additional quotation.

Option B

Client-handled

No handling fee

You ship directly to testers and save the €50 per-tester fee. Tester materials are individualized, so packages must match the correct tester.

  • Print the tester-specific information sheet from the partner portal and include it in each package
  • Enter courier name and tracking number into the partner portal

Sample requirements (all projects)

Lottery samples

Every project includes lottery samples that scale with tier. Tier 1 includes 1, Tier 2 includes 2, Tier 3 includes 3. Always shipped to Zandora HQ in Denmark. Product-dependent exceptions apply (for example, on very high-RRP products).

HQ support sample

Required for complex or technical products, and for projects above 10 tester samples. One unit at HQ allows direct tester support, troubleshooting, and setup validation.

Pricing assumes Europe-based testers unless otherwise agreed. International logistics outside Europe may require additional quotation.

All tester participation is voluntary and based on Zandora's internal matching and selection process.

Tester wellbeing comes first. Zandora may decline projects that conflict with platform standards or tester safety guidelines.

High-value products

When the unit cost is too high to give away.

A different commercial path

For products where the RRP makes free sampling impractical, we can structure the project as a discounted-purchase test. Testers receive the product at 40–70% off RRP in exchange for completing the review. The partner still receives the full test deliverable.

Sales path A

Run through the Zandora tester portal, against a 10% commission on the discounted price.

Sales path B

Run through the partner's own webshop, using tester-specific codes or links from the portal. No commission.

Lottery and Zandora support samples for high-value projects are agreed case by case, scaled to product cost and project scope.

Tell us about your product.

You have the operational picture. The next step is a brief and a conversation. We will come back with a tester match, a timeline, and a proposal you can take to your team.

Contact us Back to overview
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