Number of registered Mystery Shoppers
- + for Clients
- What is Mystery Shopping?
- Inspections
- Difference between Mystery Shopping and Market Research
- What can be measured?
- Involvement
- Myths and Pitfalls
- Methods
- Guidelines and Ethics
- Quality assurance
- Certification
- Shopper profiles
- Reporting online
- Benchmarking
- Audio reporting
- Alert reporting
- Identification
- Global projects
- Incentive programs
- Communication
- Read more
- + for Shoppers and Inspectors
- + FAQ
Myths about Mystery Shopping
There are a lot of myths and misunderstandings about what mystery shopping really is. Mystery shopping is NOT about spying, provoking or trying to "bust" someone. Better Business works only with assignments where the goal is positive development for the customers, the company and the employees. Mystery Shopping is not only for shops, it can be used in any industry. The union is not against Mystery Shopping, they are against if it is used incorrectly, just as also the top management is.
Pitfalls
To start a Mystery Shopping project without informing or involving the company’s employees would not enable the program to become fully efficient, neither on a short- nor long-term basis. To use low budget or inexperienced Mystery Shopping providers, or to organize the program in house can be expensive in the long run. A Mystery Shopping program can be set up and performed in so many different ways, so it is also important not to compare apples with pear when comparing quotes. MSPA members must adhere to the industry standards but we recommend also check references.
To neglect any requirements for a shopper profile can give results that are totally worthless, e.g. using only students if the average customer is 30+. To schedule shoppers to visit a certain unit more often than a regular customer would have or after being recognized or known by employees, will make results biased.
To underestimate the need for internal information can cause disbelieve and unnecessary misunderstandings. If one Mystery Shopping program implementation goes wrong, it can be difficult to correct or redo, and it can be difficult to convince the organization that the next program will be better. There are lots of short cuts and a jungle of companies claiming they also do Mystery Shopping. If You are looking for a serious provider, you are welcome to call us!
