Fifty locations spanning three states were shopped within a 30 day window.

The quality of the shops was consistent and discrepancies were virtually
nonexistent. Shoppers Critique helped us design a shop that was more
objective and meaningful than our previously in-house version and then they
implemented the process flawlessly and reported results in a consistent and
un- debatable manner. Round one is in and Ive been very impressed with the
results. We know exactly what we need to do to move forward on our quest for
Extraordinary Service. Bill Blankenship Miller Paint
Mystery shopping (related terms: mystery consumer, secret shopper) is a tool used
externally by market research companies, watchdog organizations, or internally by companies
themselves to measure quality of service, or compliance with regulation, or to gather specific
information about products and services. The mystery consumer's specific identity and purpose
are generally not known by the establishment being evaluated.
Mystery shoppers perform specific tasks such as purchasing a product, asking questions,
registering complaints or behaving in a certain way, and then provide detailed reports
or feedback about their experiences.

Development[edit]
Mystery shopping was standard practice by the early 1940s as a way to measure employee
integrity. Tools used for mystery shopping assessments range from simple questionnairesto
complete audio and video recordings. Mystery shopping can be used in any industry, with the
most common venues being retail stores, hotels, movie theaters, restaurants, fast food chains,
banks, gas stations, car dealerships, apartments, health clubs and health care facilities.
Since 2010, mystery shopping has become abundant in the medical tourism industry, with
healthcare providers and medical facilities using the tool to assess and improve the customer
service experience.[1] In the UK, mystery shopping is increasingly used to provide feedback on
customer services provided by local authorities, and other non-profit organizations such
as housing associations and churches.[2]

Methodology[edit]
When a client company hires a company providing mystery shopping services, a survey model
will be drawn up and agreed to. It defines what information and improvement factors the client
company wishes to measure. These are then drawn up into survey instruments and assignments
that are allocated to shoppers registered with the mystery shopping company.
The details and information points shoppers take note of typically include:

number of employees in the store on entering

how long it takes before the mystery shopper is greeted
names of employees
whether or not the greeting is friendly, ideally according to objective measures
the questions asked by the shopper to find a suitable product
the types of products shown
the sales arguments used by the employee
whether or how the employee attempted to close the sale
whether the employee suggested any add-on sales
whether the employee invited the shopper to come back to the store
cleanliness of store and store associates
 speed of service
compliance with company standards relating to service, store appearance, and
grooming/presentation
Use of secret video recorder to capture scenario.
Test of product knowledge where the product is a services.
Shoppers are often given instructions or procedures to make the transaction atypical in order to
make the test of the employees' knowledge and service skills more stringent or more specific to a
particular service issue (known as scenarios). For instance, mystery shoppers at a restaurant
may pretend they are lactose-intolerant, or a clothing store mystery shopper could enquire
about gift wrapping services. Not all mystery shopping scenarios include a purchase.
While gathering information, shoppers usually blend in as regular shoppers at the store being
evaluated. They may be required to take photographs or measurements, return purchases, or
count the number of products, seats, people during the visit. A timer or a stopwatch may be
required.
After the visit the shopper submits the data collected to the mystery shopping company, which
reviews and analyzes the information, completing quantitative or qualitative statistical
analysis reports on the data for the client company. This allows for a comparison on how the
stores or restaurants are doing against previously defined criteria.

Ethics[edit]
Mystery shopping organizations advise that their research should only be used for employee
incentive programs and that punishment or firing is an inappropriate use of mystery-shopper
data. However, stories of employees being fired as a direct result of negative mystery shopper
feedback are not uncommon.[6]
The Trade Organization for Mystery Shopping Providers, MSPA has defined a Code of
Professional Standards and Ethics Agreement for Mystery Shopping Providers and for Mystery
Shoppers. Other organizations that have defined standards for Mystery Shopping are ESOMAR,
MRS and MRA. The most widely used set of professional guidelines and ethics standards for the
Market Research industry is ISO
In the state of Nevada, mystery shoppers must be licensed by the PILB board and work under a
company that has a private investigators license in order to perform mystery shopping jobs.
Unlicensed mystery shoppers may face fines.
In June 2008, the American Medical Association's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs
released a recommendation on the use of "secret shopper patients". The Recommendation:
"Physicians have an ethical responsibility to engage in activities that contribute to continual
improvements in patient care. One method for promoting such quality improvement is through
the use of secret shopper 'patients' who have been appropriately trained to provide feedback
about physician performance in the clinical setting."[7] However, in 2009, the council decided to
withdraw the report "in light of further testimony heard at the 2008 Interim Meeting [of the AMA
House of Delegates]

As with most industries, the retail industry thrives on sales associate and customer interaction. If a
customer comes into the establishment with a particular question, and the sales associate is unable to
accurately answer them, then that can speak volumes about the entire business, even if its only one
representative! Having a knowledgeable and helpful group of employees makes the customers life
easier.
Even if you have the greatest product, and customers know that you do, it can all be undone by a poor
customer service reputation. Dont give shoppers a reason to go elsewhere, especially when this is an
issue that you can actually control. From the moment they walk into the door, to the moment they leave,
your customers are evaluating the customer service experience. Some of the questions that weve
gotten from retail owners are:
 Were customers greeted when they walked in the door?
Did our customers get assistance in finding what they needed?
Was our staff capable of explaining the details of our product?
Throughout the entire visit, did the customer feel welcomed?

Having these concerns is incredibly common in the retail industry, but are efforts being taken to ensure
that they are properly answered? At Shoppers Critique International, we provide retailers with our
mystery shopping programs, whether on-site or over the internet or phone. The advantage of these
services is that a business can be evaluated by an anonymous and un-biased customer, and that data
will reflect whatever question you have. So if you want to know what areas your business is lacking in,
then the data collected throughout the process can tell you just what they think.

Other Helpful Services

Perhaps even more advantageous than the general data collection, is finding out how your customers
feel about your business. Through the Neuro-Economic Profiling service, you will be able to find out
just that. From the brand, to the experience, there are countless areas where a client can feel
emotions about your business. Knowing just what they feel in particular moments allows you to
capitalize on that emotion and use it to grow your business to an even greater height.
Are you a retail store that is trying out a new product? Do you want to know the impression that this
product will send? You need look no further than our focus group offerings. By hand-picking a group of
individuals, whether from various walks of life or a specific group, your product can be analyzed to
determine whether its worth pursuing or if changes need to be made. Our focus groups at Shoppers
Critique International have helped numerous retailers come up with a good plan of action when
distributing a new product. Knowing the steps before you start is incredibly valuable, and not something
many retailers get the option of.

Customer Intelligence
By investing in customer intelligence data, youll be a part of the best and brightest in the retail
industry. Using the data to tweak brand positioning, customer service platforms, or in-unit operational
procedures to maximize customer experience leads to a greater brand loyalty, positive word of mouth,
and ultimately a better sales performance. Our shoppers are highly skilled at getting the data needed
to bring you these results, and you will be thanking us for revealing to you the answers to questions
you may have.
Benefit from our years of experience by sitting with us to create a game plan that fits your goals, and
youll be full of new and important data that should help your business grow beyond your wildest
dreams.
We recommend the following services for those looking to improve in the retail industry:
On-Site Mystery Shops
On-Site Audio Shops
On-Site Video Shops
Phone Shops (Recorded or Non-Recorded)
Internet Shops
Competitor Shops
Neuro-Economic Profiling
Web Surveys of Prospects
Employee Climate Surveys
Focus Groups
Social Media Monitoring

This includes:
Ensuring the outside feels safe, secure and clean
Ensuring the staff welcomes the customers
Evaluating the ambiance inside the store
Checking Sales Associates knowledge of the products
 Determining length of time a customer browses the sales floor
prior to being engaged by sales personnel
Checking the facility to ensure its maintained regularly
Ensuring personnel comply with professional guidelines
Management presence / problems correctly resolved
Evaluating the overall customer service experience
The positive effects the feedback that retail mystery shopping provides for a business
are impossible to deny. In some cases can help turn businesses completely around or at
least make clear some issues that when worked on are truly trans-formative in a retail
business.

A quality retail mystery shopping program offers:

Knowledge. In retail the axiom that knowledge is power is more true than in many other
industries. In fact the more actionable information you have the more freedom is available to you
to be able to make smart moves that can mean the difference between smooth sailing in
profitability and struggling to stay ahead. Mystery shoppers help add to that knowledge base.
They know what to look for, the questions to ask and the information that you need most!

Educated Outside View. Its often hard for an insider to notice everything thats going on in
retail, no matter how thorough one is. Are sales people acting differently when management isnt
close by? Are products being rung in properly? How are customer questions being handled? A
mystery shopper can give unbiased feedback on all that and more. You may be surprised to find
its a completely different world when youre not present.

Maximizing Your Training Dollar. Its no secret how expensive training is, and when necessary
retraining can be. This investment in each employee can be great and take quite some time to
recover. Retail mystery shopping helps identify the areas that businesses need to focus on most
and where their training budget can be best utilized. Wasted training time and dollars are saved
and areas that may have been skipped can receive more attention!

Keeping Customers Happy. Were you aware some studies suggest that over 95% of
customers base where they shop not only on the products offered and pricing but on how well
they are treated by employees? This is a number that should open eyes. Your marketing, prices,
advertizing and brand are all important to get them in the door but getting them to come back
can be a real issue that a mystery shoppers feedback can help you identify giving you the
opportunity and, if necessary, to repair or refocus before sales are hurt by poor customer
satisfaction. No one wants that to happen to their business!

Cost Effectiveness. Bringing in a quality mystery shopper presence doesnt have to be

expensive. In fact when the bottom line is looked at the figures may surprise. When the amount
of money saved or inspired from the mystery shoppers work is considered Mystery Retail
shopping often pays for itself and then some. Not hard to consider it a wise investment in more
ways than one!

Dont be left behind playing guess work. Retail is both competitive and demanding and
any edge to keep you ahead is well worth exploring. Retail mystery shopping can help
give you that strategic edge with actionable information. Let a trained professional give
you another set of eyes and ease!

Five Guys knows you need to inspect what you expect.

High standards each and every day ensure the right employees do the right things.

Training new retail employees to 100% and then making them work for managers who
don't run the shifts up to high standards is spinning your companys wheels and lowering the
brand perception in customers eyes.

That means it destroys profits. Theres only one way to avoid that: an ongoing program of
secret shops.

The number one thing business owners tell me is, I just need more customers.

Wrong, you need them to return. You cant attract your whole neighborhood to try you,
deliver lousy results and expect just getting more bodies in the door will work.

You can burn through a neighborhood with bad word-of-mouth and, without having random
shoppers checking on it for you, you may never know how to improve it.

Five Guys franchise with over 1000 locations sees the value in nearly 50,000 shops in a year,
shouldn't you? Oh right, the money.

You might not blink at spending $500 per month in advertising, but balk at spending a
fraction of that on measuring customers experience in your store.

Thats just plain dumb. The profit comes from the people wanting to return, not the discount
promotions you run to entice new shoppers.

And please, get out of the idea that spot check shops are a way to spy on employees for
compliance. Thats what theyll think if you dont present it correctly. It's also what many
lesser services use as their logo.

If you want to fire someone, you don't need a

shopping report to prove it.
Here's the thing, if you arent servicing your customers the way they believe you should, you
open the door to a competing retailer eager to take your business.

It's not what your regulars tell you, its what the new customers tell you that matters most.

And one shop every six months is so random that it reveals little. Why? Because a mystery
shop is just a moment in time. You aren't that good if you get 100% and you aren't that bad if
you get a 50%. But over time patterns emerge that make managing your customer experience
much clearer.
11 Benefits of Mystery Shops:
Monitored and measured service performance
Improves customer retention
Makes employees aware of what is important in serving customers
Monitors facility conditions
Ensures product/service delivery quality.
Supports promotional programs
Allows for competitive analyses between locations
Identifies training needs and sales opportunities
Ensures positive customer relationships on the front line.
Enforces employee integrity and knowledge.
Supports hustle by employees to meet customers. See previous post.

But not all secret shopping companies are the same. Far from it!

One client of mine told me how he found the shoppers had never even BEEN to his store.
(You can check and make sure your mystery shoppers are members of the industry
association to assure they are reputable.)

Another client said shed tried secret shoppers but it didnt work. When I looked at her
survey it came screaming off the page why it wasnt successful because every question was
subjective. Did you feel valued as a guest? Did they attempt to meet your needs? Did
you feel welcomed?

Shoot me.

What would feedback have looked like to the employee who got a low score on her shop?
Gee Sally, the customer didnt feel valued as a guest. Try harder.

Reminds me of the old days in chorus when the conductor yelled at us to sing in tune.

If Sally or the choristers knew how to do that, they would have done it.

Your shop questions need to be black and white. The employee either did or didnt say,
Good morning, good afternoon or good evening. They either described a product
using features (it has) with benefits (to the customer) or it didn't. In addition, you need a
narrative so compelling you can actually see the transaction in your store.

The final three questions I always ask at the end are the most important section. One of mine
is, "Would you be willing to drive past a competitor to return to this location based on the
service you received today?"

I work with clients to get their shopper surveys just right and actionable. One client with 14
locations is now tops in her franchise; another's average check continues to rise. Is it a
mystery? Nope, a mystery shop.

Yes you can try to save money by putting those surveys on your receipts and training your
cashiers to "circle the web address and tell them what the prize is" but that's not a true judge
of the experience. Those who had a rotten experience will be looking for some compensation
and many will quickly checkoff whatever radio buttons they need to qualify their entry for
the prize.

Oh and one more thing...

When you use a secret shopping company, don't just print it out and stick on the employee
bulletin board. Good or bad it should be gone over with a supervisor in private with who did
what when. Then they should go over it in private with the employees who were on.

Only then, after those who were most responsible for the score have been counseled should
you share, ideally in a store meeting. Delete the names, dates and times so they aren't
guessing who was responsible or you'll defeat the learning for the team.

To succeed in a lurching economy, as competitors cry the blues and leave your market, you
need to consistently provide clear expectations and demand high standards of well-trained
employees.

Cutting another shift or saving ten cents on freight is like a poor marksman looking at the
edge of the target.

How Mystery Shopping Results Help Improve Performance

Most clients whom we work with come to us eager to improve their customer service. Through the
use of mystery shopping, clients understand that they can measure their employees front-line
performance.

It seems simple...and it is: measuring the interaction between the employee and the customer,
and rating the customer experience.

ITS WHAT YOU DO WITH THAT INFORMATION THAT MAKES THE

DIFFERENCE.
Using mystery shopping as a development tool rather than a spying tool reaps many more
rewards. Mystery shopping isnt about catching people doing something wrong; rather its
about catching employees doing it right and acting on that information through various
performance improvement tactics.
How can you use mystery shop results to improve performance? Start with these 5 tools:
1. Use them for coaching and action planning. Learn more about how coaching and action
planning works: Youve Set Up A Mystery Shopping Program: Whats Next?)
2. Use them as a training tool: block out names on the mystery shop and use the narratives
as a platform for discussion with your team, i.e. What was done well and why?, What
could have been improved and how?)
3. Identify best practices from great shop results and share those practices across the
organization. For example: A great decision on the front line might be able to be replicated
for other front line employees or even with employees that serve internal customers such as
in the warehouse.
4. Start a reward system that rewards employees who receive great mystery shop results,
and communicate it. Reward and recognition often encourages behavior improvement.

5. Update standard operating procedures (SOPs) to include any changes to standard

procedures that are beneficial as a result of the results gleaned from mystery shops.