Mystery Shopping Tips & Myths

RetailTrack Mystery Shopping & Consulting has been providing mystery shopping services for over fifteen years.  Here is some information that might help you in the development of your mystery shopping program, and the selection of a mystery shopping company:

Mystery shopping companies use many of the same people
There are tens of thousands of people in North America today who are professional mystery shoppers. Mystery shopping companies subcontract their services, and most shoppers work for multiple companies.  So be wary of claims that "our shoppers are better trained." Many companies, like RetailTrack, provide extensive training for the shoppers they work with, but because those shoppers also work for other companies, everyone benefits.

Your reports are only as good as the shoppers
Although most mystery shopping companies draw from a similar pool of shoppers, it doesn't mean that they are drawing the right shoppers.  Many mystery shopping companies, when given a project, simply post store locations on an internet bulletin board, and let shoppers pick the stores they want to shop.  Your project, therefore, goes to the shoppers who log onto the internet the earliest, instead of the ones who are the most qualified.  In essence, the shoppers are picking the job, instead of the company picking the right shopper for the job.    With RetailTrack, the shoppers working on projects have been specifically asked to work on the project because of their qualifications and our experience with them.  RetailTrack has actually interviewed and screened each shopper - not just assigned them a project because of an on-line application form the shopper filled out.

The shopper is only as good as your form
The clearer and simpler your mystery shopping form is, the better a job the shoppers will be able to do.  Here is a very simple rule to remember - The quality of your shop is directly proportionate to how FEW things you look for.  Even the best shoppers are still only human, and can only retain so much information at a time.  Because they are not walking into a store with a clipboard and the shopping form in front of them, they ultimately have to rely on their memory.

Only put on your form the information you absolutely need to know, and leave the "nice-to-know" information out of it.  As a rule of thumb, we recommend that you never have more than 10-15 questions.  Before you begin a project, do a couple of shops yourself, and see how well you remember the information.

Your form is only as good as the context of the information
A quantitative, statistical review of your store is only part of the story.  No less than 30% of your shop should be anecdotal - in the words of the shopper.  This puts the information into context, so that you have a clearer understanding of situations before making decisions.

Experience is critical
The more experience a mystery shopping company has, the better.  It takes years to develop a qualified, screened shopping network, and to develop a positive working relationship with the thousands of shoppers a company will use.  A thorough understanding of mystery shopping practices and methodology are critical for ensuring the quality and accuracy of a project.  Knowledge of your industry is also essential.  The people who design the reports, the people who hire the shoppers, the people who review the reports, and the people who do the analysis all need to have an in-depth understanding of your industry in order for you to get the best results.  You will only get the information you want when the people understand what you're looking for and why.

Look for flexibility and responsiveness
With proper systems, and a strong shopper network, a mystery shopping company should be able to be able to respond to your needs quickly and effectively.  A mystery shopping company should not require excessively long lead times or penalize you for short turn-arounds.  RetailTrack tailors everything - from the shoppers report form to the reporting you receive - to the format that best suits you and your company.

High-tech is not always high quality
Many mystery shopping companies have built their systems around sophisticated, web-based applications.  While these systems offer tremendous benefits, they are often inflexible - limiting the company's ability to respond quickly or cost-effectively to special needs or smaller shops.  RetailTrack's programs are all customized to meet the needs of our customers.  Our capabilities range from highly interactive, web-based reporting, to email, fax or hard-copy reporting - whichever you prefer.

Customized doesn't mean expensive
Beware of high price quotes for special requests or customization.  RetailTrack customizes each mystery shopping program for, with only a few exceptions, little to no additional cost to our clients.  Our philosphy is that if we do a good job for you, our costs of customization will amortize easily over a long and positive relationship.