There's no 'mystery' to mystery shopping

The concept is certainly appealing ? free meals, free travel and vacations, free movies, all for having the ability to pay attention to detail and carry out a covert shopping mission.

Mystery shopping is by no means as glamorous as it sounds, but it provides shoppers with perks and pocket cash, while businesses reap the rewards of their research.

Mystery shopping, also known as secret shopping, has been around for nearly 60 years. Basically, shoppers pose as ordinary customers who file detailed evaluations of their shopping experience using written reports or questionnaires. A wide variety of industries, including retail, financial, restaurant, convenience store, supermarket, travel and entertainment, utilize mystery shopping to monitor and improve their customer service.

The goal of mystery shopping is to get employees to do what they are trained to do. Generally speaking, mystery shopping is most useful for gaining insights that enable an organization to address two key questions about the customer experience:

1. Do we actually deliver products and services in ways that are consistent with our performance goals, standards, specifications, and/or policies?

2. Do we actually deliver products and services in ways that are consistent with promises and claims made in advertisements, promotions, and other customer and market communications?

Tony Yorba, executive vice president of National Shopping Service, explains, ?For many businesses, mystery shopping is a powerful measurement tool. It determines how well their own unique brand promises, customer expectations and operating standards are being met throughout their day-to-day operations.

?Results guide employee coaching and training, aid in upper-level decision making and planning, and are often utilized for employee reviews, bonuses and promotions.?

Becoming a mystery shopper isn't that difficult. Potential shoppers should, however, be wary of the myths surrounding this $1.5 billion industry.


Never pay for a shopping job

Many Internet links advise potential mystery shoppers to pay registration fees for ?training? and job leads. Potential mystery shoppers should apply directly with a legitimate mystery shopping company.

While a certain level of professionalism and responsibility is required to be an effective mystery shopper, no one should ever have to pay a fee to get one of these jobs. Training, tips for improvement and shopping opportunities are provided without charge by reputable companies. Legitimate mystery shopping companies NEVER charge application fees to the shopper.

Though it's possible to make a living solely from mystery shopping, very few shoppers do so. For most shoppers, mystery shopping is a second income source, or a vehicle to obtain reimbursed meals, products and services.


How it works

Mystery shoppers are paid a pre-arranged fee for a particular shopping assignment, purchase reimbursement, or both. Assignments can be as basic as ordering a fast-food restaurant meal, or as unique as taking a two-week, all-expense-paid trip to a resort to document the daily service experiences.

The registration process with leading mystery shopping companies has improved over the years, and with more people becoming computer savvy, applying online has become more convenient as well. In fact, access to the Internet, email and fax machines is often required by mystery shopping companies. Some assignments also require the use of a digital camera to visually document product placement, signage, cleanliness and other focal points.


Helpful hints

Along with computer experience, there are other basic qualities mystery shopping companies look for:

? Flexibility and open-mindedness ? Be willing to accept last-minute assignments, and treat lesser assignments like a top-of-the-line shop request. At first, take whatever assignment is available; this allows the shopper to build a solid reputation within the industry.

? Punctuality, objectivity and accuracy ? The mystery shopper should understand the instructions for a particular assignment, be impartial, and focus on accuracy. Often, a shopper is required to document employee names and descriptions, prices, inventory evaluations, etc. A mystery shopper must use an unbiased and objective approach on every assignment.

? Complete assignments on time ? If a shopper is unable to complete an assignment, the mystery shopping company must be contacted immediately so they can reschedule the assignment. Dependable shoppers get the best assignments!

?A typical mystery shopping project consists of strict guidelines, intense quality and integrity standards, tight deadlines, demanding quotas and extensive shopper rotation,? Yorba said. ?Mystery shoppers must meticulously follow instructions. Data must be correct, accurate and submitted with enough detail to provide a clear understanding as to what actually occurred.?


Tips on landing a mystery shopping gig

Locate a few top mystery shopping providers and register, remembering that even if a firm doesn't have a client in your area today, they may have one next month. Once registered with a company, send an email to express a willingness to shop and to confirm your professionalism and attention to detail. However, don't send an email full of typos and grammatical errors. The old adage, ?You never get a second chance to make a good first impression,? applies here.

Monitoring online mystery shopping message boards and forums is a great way of gaining further industry knowledge while locating further shopping opportunities. To locate a few, type phrases like ?mystery shopping message board? or ?mystery shopping forum? into an Internet search engine.

While mystery shopping may not suffice as a second career, the potential is there for extra income, free goods, and maybe even a few adventures along the way!


About the author:
Daniel Dullum, an award-winning newspaper reporter, works in the public relations and business development department at National Shopping Service, Rocklin, California.

For more information, contact National Shopping Service at (800) 800-2704, or visit http://www.nationalshoppingservice.com.