Mystery shopping has been around over 60 years!

Basically, shoppers pose as ordinary customers who file detailed evaluations of their shopping experience using written reports or questionnaires. A wide variety of industries, including retail, financial, restaurant, convenience store, supermarket, travel and entertainment, utilize mystery shopping to monitor and improve their customer service.

The goal of mystery shopping is to get employees to do what they are trained to do. Generally speaking, mystery shopping is most useful for gaining insights that enable an organization to address two key questions about the customer experience:

1. Do we actually deliver products and services in ways that are consistent with our performance goals, standards, specifications, and/or policies?

2. Do we actually deliver products and services in ways that are consistent with promises and claims made in advertisements, promotions, and other customer and market communications?

Becoming a mystery shopper isn't that difficult. Potential shoppers should, however, be wary of the myths surrounding this $1.5 billion industry.

Though it's possible to make a living solely from mystery shopping, very few shoppers do so. For most shoppers, mystery shopping is a second income source, or a vehicle to obtain reimbursed meals, products and services.

How it works

Mystery shoppers are paid a pre-arranged fee for a particular shopping assignment, purchase reimbursement, or both. Assignments can be as basic as ordering a fast-food restaurant meal, or as unique as taking a two-week, all-expense-paid trip to a resort to document the daily service experiences.

The registration process with leading mystery shopping companies has improved over the years, and with more people becoming computer savvy, applying online has become more convenient as well. In fact, access to the Internet, email and fax machines is often required by mystery shopping companies. Some assignments also require the use of a digital camera to visually document product placement, signage, cleanliness and other focal points.

If you'd like to give it a try, sign up here!!! CLICK HERE TO BECOME A MYSTERY SHOPPER!