1. What Is Mystery Shopping
Mystery shopping is a market research technique that involves sending trained evaluators, known as mystery shoppers, to assess the quality of a company’s products or services. The mystery shopper typically poses as a regular customer and evaluates various aspects of the customer experience, such as the quality of service, product knowledge of staff, and overall satisfaction.
Several businesses already know and reap the benefits of hiring a mystery shopper. In fact, mystery shopping has been around since the early 1940s when banks used it to test the integrity of their employees.
Over time, it evolved into a marketing tool used by retailers, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses to improve customer service, train staff, and evaluate the competition. Today, mystery shopping is a global industry worth billions of dollars, with thousands of mystery shopping companies and millions of shoppers worldwide.
2. What Is A Mystery Shopper?
A mystery shopper is a person hired by a company or organisation to pose as a regular customer and evaluate various aspects of the customer experience, such as the quality of service, product knowledge of staff, and overall satisfaction.
They are trained evaluators who anonymously assess a business’s customer experience, typically posing as a regular customer to provide an unbiased assessment of the company’s products or services.
3. Who Hires Mystery Shoppers
Mystery shoppers are hired by various types of businesses, such as retail stores, restaurants, hotels, shops, boutiques, and service providers, to evaluate the quality of their customer service and identify areas for improvement.
The feedback obtained from mystery shopping helps businesses to enhance their customer experience, increase customer loyalty, and ultimately boost their revenue.
4. Characteristics Of An Ideal Mystery Shopper
An ideal mystery shopper should be observant, detail-oriented, and able to recall and report on their experiences accurately. They should be able to blend in with other customers and remain anonymous throughout the evaluation process.
Strong communication skills and providing constructive feedback are also essential for a successful mystery shopper.
Another important quality a mystery shopper needs to have is a good memory. They will need to be able to remember details about the shopping experience, as they cannot take notes while shopping so as not to seem questionable to the casual observer.
5. Types of Mystery Shopping
There are several types of mystery shopping. Like many industries, business models, and avenues, so are mystery shoppers who are also sometimes called secret shoppers.
Traditional Mystery Shopping
This involves sending a mystery shopper to a physical location to evaluate the customer experience in person. The shopper typically purchases and interacts with staff to assess their knowledge and customer service skills.
Phone Mystery Shopping
The mystery shopper calls a business and evaluates the customer experience. The shopper typically assessed wait times, staff knowledge, and phone etiquette.
Online Mystery Shopping
Spending much of their time online, this mystery shopper is there to evaluate the customer experience on a business’s website, social media channels, or other online platforms. The shopper evaluates factors such as ease of use, site navigation, and response time.
Video Mystery Shopping
This mystery shopper usually has a hidden camera to evaluate the customer experience in person. The shopper records their interactions with staff and the environment to provide a more detailed evaluation.
In-Person Mystery Shopping
This involves using a mystery shopper to evaluate the customer experience at an event or other location where the business is present. The shopper evaluates staff knowledge, customer service skills, and overall presentation.
6. Benefits of Mystery Shopping
Mystery shopping can be very helpful for businesses because it provides valuable customer experience feedback. By using a mystery consumer, businesses can get an unbiased evaluation of their customer service, staff performance, product quality, and other factors that can impact the customer experience.
This feedback can help businesses identify areas for improvement and make changes to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, which can ultimately lead to increased revenue and profitability.
Objective Feedback
Mystery shoppers provide unbiased and objective feedback on your business, giving you valuable insights into the customer experience and areas for improvement.
Customer Perspective
Mystery shoppers provide a customer’s perspective on your business, allowing you to understand your target audience better and tailor your products or services to their needs.
Staff Training
Mystery shopping can train and coach staff, helping them improve their customer service skills and ensure a consistent customer experience across all locations.
Competitive Analysis
Mystery shopping can be used to evaluate the competition and gain insights into their strengths and weaknesses, helping you to stay ahead of the competition.
Increased Customer Satisfaction
By identifying and addressing areas for improvement, mystery shopping can help to increase customer satisfaction, loyalty, and retention.
7. Drawbacks of Mystery Shopping
While mystery shopping can provide valuable insights for businesses, there are also some drawbacks to consider, which may include the following:
The Limited Scope Of Evaluation
Mystery shopping typically focuses on specific aspects of the customer experience so that it may only provide a partial picture of overall customer satisfaction. Each mystery shopper’s experience can greatly vary depending on who they interact with, the products, or process they avail, lack of specific items, and so much more.
Potential For Dishonesty By Mystery Shoppers
In some cases, mystery shoppers may not accurately represent regular customers or deliberately provide false feedback for personal gain.
Inconvenience
Mystery shopping can be time-consuming and disruptive to regular business operations, particularly if multiple visits are required.
Conclusion On What Is A Mystery Shopper
Mystery shopping can be a valuable tool for businesses to gain insights into their customers’ experiences and identify areas for improvement. While there are some drawbacks to consider, the benefits of mystery shopping often outweigh the costs.
We encourage business owners to consider hiring a mystery shopping company to gain an objective evaluation of their customer service and product quality. Businesses can improve customer satisfaction, build loyalty, and increase revenue and profitability.
Don’t hesitate to take the first step and schedule a consultation with Detective Don today. Learn how our professional mystery shopping services can provide value to your business today.
Frequently Asked Questions On What Is A Mystery Shopper
What Is A Mystery Shopper?
A mystery shopper is an individual who poses as a regular customer and visits businesses to evaluate the quality of service and customer experience.
How Does Mystery Shopping Work?
Mystery shopping companies hire individuals to visit businesses and report on their experiences. These individuals are given tasks to complete and asked to report their observations and interactions with employees.
What Are The Benefits Of Mystery Shopping For Businesses?
Mystery shopping provides businesses with valuable insights into their customers’ experiences, allowing them to identify areas for improvement and make changes that can improve customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Is Mystery Shopping Legal?
Yes, mystery shopping is legal as long as the shopper does not engage in illegal activities during the evaluation.
What Is The Cost Of A Mystery Shopper In Singapore?
The cost of a mystery shopper in Singapore varies depending on the scope and complexity of the project. However, on average, a mystery shopper can be hired for around SGD $50 to $100 per visit.
