Becoming a mystery shopper is a great opportunity for anyone who likes to try new things and likes a change of scenery. Mystery shopping can involve anything from visiting a restaurant, a retail store, or another type of establishment. There are even mystery shopping services for real estate in an effort to help realtors improve their business practices. When you're a mystery shopper it's important to be discrete and to blend in with the customer base in order to get a better understanding of the real customer experience. Once you've mastered the ability to remain anonymous while completing the shopping process, you can be very successful in your mystery shopping pursuits and will be able to provide the much-needed information to the business.
Start the Day
Your day as a mystery shopper begins with planning your shopping strategy. You should read over your instructions and ensure you have all your required materials. Some mystery shop evaluations are more extensive than others. So, take a cheat sheet, while performing the shop make notes in the bathroom or your car, make notes in your phone. Do whatever you need to answer questions honesty and accurately, however you must remain anonymous during the mystery shop. You should also be aware of any requirements for shopping times or specific days as many businesses require a mystery shop to happen during certain slow or busy times based on the information they wish to gain. Before leaving for your shopping trip you can also be sure to dress the part. You always need to blend in with regular clientele.
Start the Mystery Shop
Once you arrive at your destination, you will check over your shopping requirements once more before going inside so you're prepared. ALL shops require you to remain extremely discrete during your shopping, so you'll need to be cautious when noting information. If you are identified as a mystery shopper you will not be paid. During your mystery shopping experience, you'll likely act like any other customer and not draw attention to yourself. You will wait to be approached by staff. If you are not approached by staff within a reasonable time, you engage an employee for more information about a product or service.
Reporting Tips
Each company may have their own requirements for reporting, but in general, mystery shopping reports should:
- Use proper spelling and grammar
- Use facts and objective evidence, not opinion and subjective commentary
- Include the name of each employee you interacted with and their description
For more information on how to report professionally, check out our blog post 'Report Like a Pro With Grammarly'
Every Mystery Shop Is A Unique Experience
Your day of mystery shopping can vary based on the type of business you're visiting. Once example of a unique situation is completing mystery shopping services for real estate. This may require you to visit an office or an open house to gain information on the business. Restaurant mystery shops can also be unique as they often require you to order a certain meal or go to the restaurant at a specific time of day. Being a mystery shopping agent can be a fun, rewarding and exciting position that allows you to experience products and services that you may never have known about. Some mystery shops are not as fun, but completing these and doing a good job on these, will open the doors to the ones that are more fun. So don’t avoid the more challenging of mystery shops. Plus, you know that you're doing something important by helping businesses improve their customer experience over time.
To find out more about a day in the life of a mystery shopper as well as mystery shopping services available, contact the professionals at Shoppers Confidential.
