Mystery shopping is an objective measure of the quality of a customer journey – the welcome, the advice offered, the sale – within a brand (shop, restaurant, bank, etc.). It’s the mystery shopper who does the measuring by making a visit and putting themselves in the shoes of an ordinary customer. Their role: observe a number of criteria (cleanliness, quality of advice, etc.) and evaluate them after the visit.
The aim of the mystery shop is to identify good practice and areas for improvement, to then help the brands to offer better experiences to their customers and optimise their relationships. It is not meant to be used as a sanction.
Mystery shopping can provide a source of additional revenue. Each assignment is declared and the mystery shopper receives a fixed term contract for each.