Unravel the Mystery with Mystery Shopping!

Home Business Ideas - Unravel the Mystery with Mystery Shopping!

If a company’s goods and services are to be measured for it to remain competitive, one way is to hire a mystery shopping company directly or request a marketing research firm to conduct the research for them. These marketing research firms in turn hire mystery shoppers and assign them a specific task.

Marketing research firms who have the experience and expertise in mystery shopping already have established procedures, parameters and the necessary tools and software programs to perform a mystery shopping task from A to Z. They have a data base of available individuals who serve as mystery shoppers and who can report on their shopping experiences.

Sometimes, companies will do their own research especially if they want to gauge employee performance in customer service or measure their products’ success. They will ask a Ms. Jane Doe to “shop” in their store so that management can observe how employees do on such indicators as courtesy, attention to basic customer service rules, knowledge of goods and services and professionalism. Companies need to do this periodically to have an edge over competitors.

Mystery shoppers are paid either on a project or hourly basis. Be wary of research firms who require a fee upfront to become registered or “certified” as a mystery shopper. If you want to be a mystery shopper, search the internet for mystery shopping companies, or else go to www.mysteryshop.org for a list of such companies.

You know what they say about shopping as a stress-reliever. Well, mystery shopping is a lot more fun because you’re going on a “secret and sensitive mission” where people would love to hear about your experience.