The Definition of a Mystery Shopper

Even though mystery shopping is a big business these days, not many people actually know what it means. However, in order to become a mystery shopper it is actually fairly simple and it could be really rewarding too. As well as earning a little extra money and being able to get products for free, mystery shopping allows you to help out businesses which want to improve. You will usually work for a mystery shopping company and as a mystery shopper you will be assigned various stores to evaluate.

Every mystery shopper has the same goals - working covertly to increase a company’s sales, reduce risk of liability, making employees more aware of the customer, and improving customer satisfaction. All of this is done using a special process in which the mystery shopper would take on an assignment, go to the business anonymously, and gather all of the required information. Then, the mystery shopper is required to complete a form, submitting it to the company hired by. In turn, this company will perform an analysis of the information, followed by a plan or recommendations to the customer on improving operations and performance.

Although the mystery shopper performs that same type of job, the jobs themselves vary dramatically. For instance, if you were to become a mystery shopper with a number of companies, you could end up performing a restaurant, oil change, apartment, and clothing store shop in a single week. The type of assignment the mystery shopper does is dependent on the industry for which the shop is being completed.

A mystery shopper will be compensated for their time in a variety of ways as well. For example, they may be paid a set figure based on the job, they may receive a reimbursement allotment or they provide both.

The requirements of a mystery shopper include being honest, confidential, and having a high level of integrity. You would also be required to have transportation, speak English unless a bilingual shop is needed, and complete the shop anonymously. Sometimes, a company will ask the mystery shopper to bring a cell phone or digital camera. However, if you do not own one or both of these items, we are now finding several of the larger mystery shopping companies loaning the items to the mystery shopper for the assignment. It is also required in most cases that the mystery shopper be a minimum of 18 or 21 years of age.

Having good communication and listening skills is also an important criteria for the mystery shopper. After all, you will be interacting with service people at all types of businesses, meaning you need to present yourself in a professional manner. Many times, you become an actor as a mystery shopper. If you were sent to a jewelry store to look at engagement rings, you might need to pretend that you are going to be engaged, although this might not be the case. Communication and listening are also important in that detailed reports are generated by the mystery shopper so paying close attention is critical to the shop’s success.