How We Test and Evaluate Products

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Our Mission

As Reader’s Digest’s shopping editors, we cover products that make everyday life better. Through extensive research and hands-on testing, we strive to deliver the best, most-trusted product reviews, recommendations and inspiration on the internet.

Our Team

Our team of shopping experts and product reviewers has more than 25 combined years of experience in professional product selection and testing. But were also everyday shoppers who aim to purchase the best products for the lowest price. Meet our team:

Why You Should Trust Us

We’ve built a first-rate testing program that showcases our commitment to authenticity and rigorous testing. Our team of in-studio and on-location testers methodically yet authentically put products through their paces so that our audience can click “add to cart” with confidence.

Our teams biggest responsibility is to our readers. You can trust that when a product appears on our site, its been hand-chosen by one of our shopping experts, each with years of experience under their belt. Were truly fans of every single recommendation we publishwell never push a product we find to be faulty or unworthy of coverage.

Were always on the lookout for the latest products and brands that can make your lives easier and your days brighter. When were not sending products to expert freelancers, were speaking to leading professionals in the fields of sleep, pets, skincare, fashion and travel to incorporate their tips into our work.

hands filling a water tank testing vacmops

How We Select and Test Products

As shopping experts, testing products is one of the most importantand most fun!parts of the job. After all, how can we recommend products in good faith without getting our hands on them ourselves?

We follow rigorous guidelines and testing methodologies to arrive at the very best products. Whether were packing luggage to the brim to test its capacity or sifting through our sleep data to review mattresses, we treat each product with the care and journalistic curiosity it deserves.

When possible, we test products side-by-side with similar competitors, comparing qualities our readers care the most about such as pricepoint, accessibility, durability and design. We often include multiple testers to remove bias and personal preference from the equation. We also factor in reviews from across the internet from real, everyday people to form a more complete picture of a products worthiness.

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Some other qualities we evaluate:

  • Brand trustworthiness: We’re always keeping our ear to the ground about the brands our readers trust the most, especially when it comes to big purchases like refrigerators and dishwashers. So it’s no surprise we take brand reputation into account when we evaluate products, constantly assessing whether popular brands live up to the hype.
  • Inclusivity and accessibility: Some products are useful to everyone, and others serve a particular audience. At Reader’s Digest, we pay special attention to the product categories that are accessible to specific groups, like mature skincare and plus-size swimwear. We ensure that our testers represent these groups and can review products based on their personal experience.
  • Longevity: Most products need to work more than once, and even more still should last for years. In addition to our rigorous initial evaluations, we keep testing products, incorporating those vacuums and suitcases and mattresses into our lives to see how they hold up to continuous use.

Our Testing Lab

Based in Milwaukee, our dedicated lab offers 400 square feet of space to put products through their paces. The lab space is specifically designed to handle an array of products, from vacuums to subscription boxes to anti-theft bags, ensuring a thorough evaluation process across various categories. Our team, led by experts in product testing and editorial standards, works in synergy to manage the operations of our lab. Heres a snapshot of our day-to-day inside the lab:

  • We test roughly 70 products monthly, collecting more than 1,500 data points for consideration.
  • Logistics are an integral part of the job. We have scrupulous processes for intaking, storing and long-term testing products.
  • We take the time to carefully research each product to understand its features and specs better. This includes reading each owners manual front-to-back and scouring product pages for testaments and customer feedback.
  • Any products that do not require long-term testing are donated. Items that need disposal are done in an ethical and responsible manner.

Testing luggage through obstacle course

How We Make Money

Our website participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may earn a commission if you make a purchase or take certain actions through links on our site. However, it’s important to note that our participation in these programs does not influence our editorial content. We maintain editorial independence and the inclusion of any product or brand on our lists is based on our assessment of their quality, value and relevance to our readers. We are committed to transparently sharing products and services that we believe will be of interest and benefit to our audience.

Awards

Work With Us

For all partnerships and editorial inquiries: Chris.Eppolito@tmbi.com

For more information about TMB: https://www.trustedmediabrands.com/

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