Mystery shopping which is also called Secret Shopping involves visiting a retail store, restaurant, hotel, gym, beauty salon or similar retail business as an undercover customer, Secret Shopper or Mystery Shopper. (These terms are all the same thing.)
As a Mystery Shopper / Secret Shopper, you will have a set brief to follow during your visit, which will be provided to you by the company you are working for.
An example of a standard brief would be to visit a retail store in a certain location and show an interest in a product.
Let’s say for this example; your brief is that you are looking to purchase a tennis racket for yourself. The brief may state that when a staff member / salesperson approaches you, you must say you are just looking first, to see if the staff member just accepts that statement and wanders off never to return, or asks some further qualifying questions.
You may also be required to ask a couple of questions, like what material is the racket made from, to test the salesperson's product knowledge.
On most occasions, you will be required to act just like a normal shopper. You will not be required to get angry or create unnecessary objections.
Essentially you are there to look at a product and evaluate whether it would suit your needs based on what the salesperson tells you, and based on this information if you would be prepared to buy the product. It is very unlikely in this scenario that you would be required to purchase the tennis racket.
Mystery shoppers / Secret Shoppers are usually also required to assess their shopping experience by evaluating areas such as the customer service received, the store presentation, any up-sell attempted during the sale, the cleanliness of the store and comment on any promotional material seen during your visit.
When you have completed the Mystery Shopping visit you will be required to then complete a survey on the shopping experience.
Usually all the required questions will be asked in an online survey form which can be accessed in your Mystery Shopper portal. For example, 'Was the salesperson polite?' Some comments may also be required.
Most Mystery Shopping companies provide their Mystery Shoppers with an online portal once they have successfully completed their application to become a Mystery Shopper.
This portal is usually accessed at the Mystery Shopping companies website using a username and password.
To sign up to become a Mystery Shopper / Secret Shopper with us (The Secret Shopper Mystery Shopping Services) simply look in the menu bar above and click become a Secret Shopper, then read and follow the provided instructions.
Please review our Privacy Policy before applying.
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