What Are The Different Types Of Mystery Shops?

As a mystery shopper you could go shopping, watch a movie for free, have breakfast, lunch or dinner, enjoy a drink or two, or get a free night in a hotel. You'll get paid for your work and have the opportunity to feel that you can make a difference. What a tough life!

As a mystery shopper you are a freelance professional who is contracted to pose as

a real shopper in order to evaluate several aspects of commercial retail

establishments. Among other aspects, you may be asked to evaluate customer service, product availability, product pricing, product quality, store cleanliness, website operations and telephone customer service. After evaluating the business, you are then required to report their findings to the companies that contracted them.

So where do you find these opportunities?

Your first step should be to log onto the internet and start your search there.

In mystery shopping, 99 percent of the available opportunities are found online.

Another source of mystery shopping companies is the Mystery Shopping Providers

Association http://www.mysteryshop.org They offer an extensive source of mystery

shopping tools as well as the opportunity to become certified. Browse their website

and get a feel for what they have to offer.

How do you apply for the assignments available?

As you browse the listings of the mystery shopping companies, there is a short

information paragraph, which advises of the types of shopping scenarios available

from that shopping company. Some of these mystery shopping companies specialize

in specific industries or type of shops. Based on the type of mystery shop you are

looking to perform, you can decide if you want to register with that company or move

on to another company which offers the type of shop you are looking to complete. In

order to be successful, you will need to register with dozens of mystery

shopping companies to increase your likelihood of receiving shopping

opportunities on a regular basis.

Responding To postings

The majority of mystery shopping assignments are posted online on job boards or

offered to the mystery shoppers who have signed up with that company via email. In

the posting, you are advised on the type of mystery shopping assignment, as well as

all the relevant details such as time frame for completion, general location, type of

mystery shopping and the fee to be paid.

It is imperative that before you sign up to accept an assignment that you understand

what is required, especially the time frame for completing and submitting your report.

Many companies will drop you from their database if you sign up and then cancel a

shop repeatedly. If you are uncertain about any of the details of the assignment,

including the time frame, you can send an email, or call the company for clarification.

Keep in mind, however, that many of the assignments are very competitive and they

go quickly, so by the time you request additional information, the assignment may be

already awarded to another shopper. The skill of determining what is required from

an initial posting is something that comes with experience and after a while, you will become expert at determining what assignments you are willing to accept and

perform.

How Much Time Will Each Shop Take?

It depends! Some assignments can be completed in just a few minutes; others will

take longer, and may even require a couple of hours or more. For instance, dining at

a fine restaurant may require a time frame of a couple of hours, in addition to

completing and submitting your report.

You will need to determine how much time you are willing to spend to complete an

assignment, given the scenario and the pay being offered. For the lower paying

assignments, you may decide that since they are so easy and don’t take much time,

you can complete several of these in a day and still make some good money.

How Are Assignments Paid?

You will be paid a pre-determined rate, agreed upon by your acceptance of the

assignment. On completing the assignment and submitting your report, you will be

paid in accordance with the mystery shopping company’s pay schedule.

Payment can range anywhere from 7 days to 60 days, so it is important for you to

know when you are scheduled to be paid, and to keep accurate records of the

assignments and expected pay date.

Some companies are moving to online payments using Paypal, and with this option,

you receive your pay even faster. It is a good idea to sign up for a Paypal account to

expedite your pay, and eliminate some of the delays in waiting for the cheque to arrive,

or deal with lost or delayed cheques. You can get a free paypal account by visiting

www.paypal.com .

What Is Merchandising And How Is It Different From Mystery Shopping?

Merchandising can be a lucrative additional source of income for a mystery shopper.

Many mystery shopping companies also post listings for merchandising.

A merchandiser is hired or contracted to visit a retail store and is responsible to

ensure that the manufacturer's line of products, whether it be clothing, groceries,

toys, etc. is well presented.

The merchandiser keeps the displays clean and tidy, takes inventory and restock the products, and in the case of promotions, they are responsible for assembling and

setting up the promotional displays, placing coupons, assembling equipment,

removing product recalls and keeping the display well stocked.

Merchandising assignments can take anywhere from 1-2 hours to complete,

although depending on the number of products and the display requirements, it can

take longer. Some mystery shoppers have decided after doing these assignments

that they prefer to do merchandising rather than mystery shopping and do very well as merchandisers. Others do both merchandising and mystery shopping and enjoy the variety of these assignments.

Who Can Be A Mystery Shopper?

Mystery Shoppers are Independent Contractors and they can be virtually anyone.

They can be old, young, slim or overweight, well heeled or strapped for cash.

They are stay at home moms and dads, retirees, students, full and part time

employees, people with disabilities; in short, just about anyone, aged eighteen or

over can be a mystery shopper.

The reality is that mystery shoppers from all walks of life are needed. Some mystery

shopping companies are even now starting to recruit disabled mystery shoppers.

An effective mystery shopper has the ability to blend in with typical customers at the

assigned location and be observant and detailed while acting as a normal customer

would.

Characteristics of a Successful Mystery Shopper:

Mystery shopping is a business and needs to be taken seriously. You do need to

posses a few characteristics like being dependable, professional and observant, and

you need to be able to act as a real shopper. No specific experience is required, but

you must be anonymous, dependable, detail oriented and accurate in your reporting.

Of course, you need to have reliable transportation to conduct your shops and writing well and being able to separate your findings from your opinion are also important.

Be anonymous

Mystery Shoppers must remain anonymous at all times. You must act as a regular

customer and be careful not to do anything that would reveal you as a shopper. An

inexperienced shopper could tip off the staff to his/her identity by asking for the

manager's name for no clear or appropriate reason, just because it is a requirement

of their shopping assignment.

You must never bring any of the shopping survey forms or questionnaires onto the

premises with you. An employee could spot them or you could misplace them, which

would compromise your identity as a shopper.

If you are going to be bringing someone with you on the shop, (if allowed), make sure you educate them about the process as well and what behaviours are expected of them... Beware that even whispers can be overheard by employees.

When on your mystery shopping assignment, always blend in to look like typical

customer. Don’t do anything to bring attention to yourself, either in word, dress, or

actions.

 Never reveal yourself as a shopper -Always ask “what’s that” or something to that effect, if you’re asked if you’re a mystery shopper. If anyone suspects that you

are a shopper, you can bet the word will quickly spread around the establishment

and you'll get some of the best customer service in town.

Be Accurate

You must be absolutely accurate and willing to back up any thing that you submit in

your report. If you are unsure of something, do not include it. If one point is

inaccurate, your entire report may not be accepted as valid. It is not unheard of for a

report to be disputed by the employees being shopped. Some will try to discredit

your report, so you must be 100 percent accurate.

Always back up your answers with facts.  Facts must be supported, with details,

especially “no” answers or you won’t get paid, which is a waste of your valuable time.

In addition to not getting paid, the assignment must be re-assigned and completed by someone else. If you mark that an employee was not in proper uniform, describe

exactly what they were wearing and how it differed from other employees. If you

mark that a food item was not served as ordered, describe exactly how the menu

described it and what you were actually served.

Submit details for all NO answers and describe many of the important YES answers.

Report on any inconsistencies among staff and guests. Be sure your comments do

not contradict the answers on your questionnaire.

You must be sure to visit the correct locations – Verify the address on your

assignment sheet and on arrival at the location.

Be Patient

Patience – Patience is a definite requirement as you may need to wait to meet with a

certain person or persons in order for your shop to be considered valid. You need to

allow yourself enough time to complete the assignment correctly.

Observe Confidentiality

 All information received in the course of your mystery shopping assignment is confidential – do not any details share with anyone else. As a mystery shopper, youare under contract and a professional. Treat the information you receive as

confidential and proprietary.

 You must complete the assignment yourself since

sending someone else to complete your assignment and submitting it under your

name is unethical, unlawful and if you are found out you will be dropped from the

companies’ database. The word will get around, and soon you will find that it’s

almost impossible to get assignments as your reputation precedes you.

Never, ever divulge any information regarding a shopping assignment to anyone at

any time. This includes what business you shopped and for what shopping company.

This is a cornerstone of your mystery shopping business and must be adhered to at

all times.

Have Great Budgeting Skills

In addition to budgeting your time, you also need to be able to budget your money

wisely and determine what assignments you will take and how they fit your time and

budget schedule.

Be Comfortable Using the Internet

The majority of shopping assignments are found, assigned and submitted on line. In

order to be a successful shopper, you need to be familiar and comfortable using the

internet, and be able to download the assignment details and attach files for

submitting your reports.

Have Excellent Time Management Skills

Yes, mystery shopping can be fun and rewarding, however, you need to manage

your time wisely so you are not running all over town on many days of the week or

month. Determine what assignments you will take, the minimum amount of money

you will accept on an assignment, and plan your schedule so you can schedule

assignments in the same area at the same time.

It is imperative that you keep track of when your assignments are due, and avoid, if

you can, doing assignments on the last day of the assignment schedule, ( in case of

an emergency which prevents you from completing the assignment) since most

shopping assignments give you a few days to complete them.

Be Detailed Oriented

You must be observant and detail oriented, noticing and reporting on things the

average customer may not notice. You are being paid to perform an assignment and

must make every effort to be detailed in your observations and reporting. You must

review your paperwork before doing your shop, so you know exactly what is required

on the assignment and what you need to report on. You should always be familiar

with your form prior to your evaluation.

Remember that a good report (especially the comments or narrative) tells a story

about your experience. Whether positive or negative, your report should be able to

convey what took place at the location. Your comments should include explanations

to backup why you may have given negative responses to certain questions.

Be Observant

Observation is a matter of skill and although it is one of those skills everyone

possesses, not everyone is equally perceptive. As professional mystery shopper,

you must be a master of observation. Mystery Shoppers must train themselves in the

art of detailed observation. Their senses must be acute and their memory sharp.

They must be able to understand how to really look at the environment they enter, to

absorb information and to mentally record details that may later need to be recalled.

Be Organized

A dis-organized mystery shopper is one who is looking to fail. You must be

organized in your time, your assignments and your reporting schedules. Many

assignments require that you submit your reports within 12-24 hours after completing

the assignment and a sure way to forfeit your pay is to miss the required deadline.

Get a calendar, organizer, email calendar or whatever it takes to make sure that you

remain organized and on top of your mystery shopping requirements.

Don’t become complacent. Sometimes you are performing the same scenario at

multiple locations and think that since you are familiar, you do not need to review

your assignment details. Avoid this thinking at all costs, since assignment details do

change and as a professional mystery shopper, you are responsible for knowing what you are required to observe on each assignment.

Only accept assignments you know you can complete and submit on time. Your shop reports must be entered online within the specified time after the shop has been completed. Any reports received after that time may be denied compensation. If you have any questions or problems with the assignment, or evaluation report, make sure you contact the company immediately.

Write Well

As a professional mystery shopper; you will want to make sure that you submit

reports that are not only factual and detailed, but logical, and well written with correct

grammar and spelling. It does not need to be a literary masterpiece, but you must

commit to producing and submitting detailed and well written reports. There are

literally thousands of mystery shoppers, but very few who are dependable and can

deliver the detailed and accurate reports which are required. This is one of the

qualities that will endear you to the mystery shopping company and put you at the

head of the class for other shopping assignments.

Be Committed

Be committed to complete the assignment on time. When you apply for and accept

an assignment, the mystery shopping company and the client they are representing

are expecting you to complete that assignment on time and in the manner requested.

By accepting an assignment, you are committing yourself to perform, and the

company which has removed that assignment from others who are interested, are

depending on you to keep that commitment.

Of course, there are emergencies which may make it impossible to complete the job

in the required time frame and that’s understandable, however, it is not acceptable to

accept assignments you know you cannot complete on time, or complete marginally.

Your reputation will really suffer if you accept assignments and not complete them in

the required time. This is also where being organized comes into play, as you will

make sure that you do not wait until the last date of the time frame to complete the

shop. Always try to complete the assignment early where possible, to give yourself

some flexibility in case of an emergency. Your word is your bond; make sure you

complete your assignments on time.

Be Objective

Just the facts -- Mystery Shopping is the most accurate and reliable tool a business

can use to gather information regarding their actual customer service performance at

the "moment of truth". This "moment of truth" is not when the staff is on their best

behavior because the boss is around - it is when they interact with customers during

their normal daily routines.

This is where you, the Mystery Shopper, come in. You provide feedback of factual

and objective observations during your assignment. Don’t involve your emotions

unless requested.-As a reporter, which you are as a mystery shopper, you report on

the facts unless you are specifically asked to give your opinions.

Professional Mystery Shoppers are responsible for reviewing and understanding the

scenarios well enough to improvise when necessary during an assignment. A

Mystery Shopper role-plays the scenarios according to what they feel is normal

behaviour. For example, scenario questions should not be stated word-for-word. They should be asked using the personal conversational style of the shopper. If a shopper is found to be out of compliance with a scenario, the evaluation could be rejected, the mystery shopper’s rating negatively affected and the shopper’s ability to accept future assignment could be jeopardized.

Be Professional

When you, as a professional mystery shopper accept and conduct an assignment,

the company you represent expects professional behaviour. Regardless of what your

feelings may be about the client company and/or the products the company sells, you are required to demonstrate a positive, optimistic and enthusiastic interest in the

company as a whole.

Professional mystery shoppers build their professional Image and stand out from the

crowd.. Mystery shopping companies and their schedulers like to work with shoppers

who take their work seriously and act professionally. All communications with mystery shopping companies should be businesslike with the use of proper grammar, spelling and punctuation. Save and document all of your work and confirmation submissions, according to the company requirements.

Some companies require that you retain your reports and confirmations for 30, 60 or

even 90 days.

 Respond promptly when you are contacted. Most importantly, do

what you say you will do. Improve your skills. Consider obtaining certification to become a more educated shopper and to demonstrate your commitment to being a professional. If necessary, take a grammar or business writing course to improve your reporting skills.