what is mystery shopping

Mystery shopping is a method used by marketing research companies and organizations to measure the quality of sales and service, job performance, regulatory compliance, or to gather specific information about a market or competitors. Mystery shoppers are individuals who are hired to evaluate the overall customer experience given by a company. They behave as regular customers and have specific instructions on what to look for during their visit to a business. They may also have particular actions to perform while there, such as asking for an item, or requesting advice on what to buy. Mystery shopping can take the form of physical visits to business premises, or calling companies to evaluate their customer experience, often called mystery calling or Customer Experience Research Calling (CXR Calling) . Online mystery shops involve visiting an aspect of a business that is available on the internet, such as the business’ own website or digital storefront, or it may be their social media channels. Mystery shopping assessments and reports range from simple questionnaires to audio and video recordings, and this type of market research can be used in any industry, from B2C and B2B, although B2B is rare. Mystery shoppers interact with and report on a wide range of businesses and services, including gas stations, automotive dealerships, transportation services, real estate and property management firms, movie theaters, health and fitness clubs, insurance products, roadside assistance, health care products and providers for both humans and animals. Becoming a mystery shopper is as simple as registering with an agency or mystery shopper company via their website, filling in a registration form, and agreeing to the terms of your contract.