Mystery shopping is used by companies as a part of a performance improvement process. The actual mystery shopping component provides a snapshot in time of how the business is performing across a range of criteria. This provides the managers with a benchmark against which their performance improvement program can be measured.

Mystery shoppers visit or call businesses posing as ordinary customers. They are given a range of criteria on which to assess the business, such as friendliness of the staff, knowledge of the products and quality of their purchase. They are then asked to complete a detailed evaluation of their experience through a questionnaire.

Many different types of companies use mystery shopping as part of their ongoing market research program or marketing information system. Mystery shoppers are just as likely to be called on to evaluate a help line as they are to test drive a new lawnmower.

To find out how mystery shopping could benefit your business, contact us.