What Mystery Shopping Is And What Mystery Shoppers Do
Complete Step-By-Step Guide
What Mystery Shopping Is And What Mystery Shoppers Do
Mystery Shoppers (also known as Secret Shoppers) are individuals who are trained or provided with instructions, who visit various retail establishments and who evaluate the establishment on a given set of criteria. Visits are conducted anonymously, with the shopper posing as a regular customer, often making a purchase, and then evaluating the customer service, store appearance, and other important criteria. The Mystery Shopper then reports these results, most often through the Internet.
As a Mystery Shopper, you will be paid for each visit, and in addition, you will also often receive free products or services when it is necessary to make a purchase during the course of the Mystery Shop. Typical places shopped include restaurants, gas stations, banks, and all types of retail stores. Most of these places are probably the same as where you already shop.
In general, you may be required to do a taste test at a fast food restaurant or asked to evaluate the performance of an attendant at a full-service gasoline station. Likewise, you may be asked to rate the quality of service given at a convenience store or super market, or may even be asked to verify that coffee is fresh and hot for a breakfast promotion. Professional market research firms have numerous projects going on constantly and each differs based on the client and its specific objective for that project and period of time.
Let me tell you about a recent mystery shopping assignment with a personal example. One of the biggest restaurant chains in the nation has a mystery-dining program. Their program is simple: a "mystery diner" visits every restaurant every week.
Every manager knows that the next customer could be a mystery diner. Every waiter and waitress knows that the next table could be the weekly mystery diner. Nobody knows what day or time the restaurant will be reviewed. And, the manager knows that more than 20% of their bonus is based on a compilation of the weekly mystery diner reviews. Every waiter and waitress knows they can get a bonus for a good mystery diner review.
The result: This chain is one of the most successful in the country. One has to believe that their quest for perfection with weekly restaurant reviews is a big part of their success.
My spouse and I were "mystery diners" for this chain a few years ago. We received training (over lunch of course) with a group of about 50. The chain demanded that we fill out a detailed 10 - 15 page questionnaire after every visit. Some typical questions: · Describe the host/hostess · How long before the waiter/waitress greeted you after you were seated · Were the rest rooms clean and tidy · How was the apple pie special · Was the main entree served at the correct temperature · Did the waiter/waitress check back promptly after the meal was served
As you can see, the work is straightforward, not too difficult, and it can be a lot of fun. We actually reviewed a different restaurant for them weekly for about 4 months. A nice assignment! Visit www.WebsterContent.com for step-by-step free instructions on mystery shopping plus their exclusive free resource guide - companies that are looking for shoppers in your area.
About the Author
Barbara is an editor with WebsterInfo, the BEST site for submitting articles and connecting with consumers. You can post articles and read about subjects from A to Z at WebsterInfo.com
Tell others about
this page:
Comments? Questions? Email Here