A secret shopper, also known as a mystery shopper, is an individual hired to anonymously evaluate the quality of goods or services offered by a business. This role serves as a form of market research and quality control, providing companies with a third-party perspective on their operations. The shopper behaves like a typical customer while systematically assessing their experience using specific criteria. The goal is to provide a detailed, objective account of the interaction, which informs the business on its performance.
Defining the Role and Purpose
The core function of a secret shopper is to provide unbiased, objective feedback on the customer experience and the execution of company standards. Businesses use these services to conduct a customer experience audit, helping them monitor employee compliance with training protocols and identify gaps in service delivery. This allows management to understand how policies and procedures translate into real-world customer interactions.
The primary output of an assignment is a detailed report or survey documenting the experience, often submitted through an online portal. The report is purely factual, requiring the shopper to record specific observations, such as the location’s cleanliness, the speed of service, and the employee’s demeanor. Gathering this data allows a company to benchmark its service against competitors or track improvements over time, ensuring brand consistency across multiple locations.
Types of Secret Shopping Assignments
Secret shopping occurs across a wide variety of industries and formats, extending beyond simple retail visits. The specific assignment dictates the environment and the required scope of observation for the shopper.
In-Person Retail Audits
These are the most common assignments, requiring a physical visit to a brick-and-mortar location such as a store, restaurant, or bank branch. The shopper follows a prescribed scenario, which may involve making a small purchase, asking specific questions, or evaluating the merchandising display. The focus is on the employee interaction, including their product knowledge, adherence to sales scripts, and overall helpfulness.
Telephone Mystery Calls
This assignment evaluates the customer experience provided by a business’s phone operatives, such as call centers or helplines. The shopper calls the business and poses a specific query or scenario to assess factors like hold times, the clarity of the representative’s communication, and their ability to resolve an issue. These shops are important for companies where the telephone is a significant part of the customer journey, such as insurance or travel services.
Online and Web Audits
In this format, the shopper evaluates the digital aspects of a business, including its website, mobile app, or social media channels. Tasks involve testing the ease of the online ordering process, interacting with a chatbot, or sending a direct message to customer support. This evaluation provides insight into the usability and responsiveness of a company’s digital platforms.
Service Audits
Service audits cover complex, high-value interactions that involve an extended engagement with a business. Examples include evaluating a hotel stay, test-driving a car at a dealership, or assessing a consultation with a healthcare provider. These assignments require a more detailed narrative report due to the complexity and length of the service being reviewed.
How Compensation Works
Secret shopping is generally a gig economy job, and compensation is structured on a per-assignment basis. Pay for a single assignment typically consists of a small flat fee for the shopper’s time, plus reimbursement for any required purchase or service, often called a shop allowance. Basic shops pay between $5 and $20, while more complex assignments, like an overnight hotel stay or fine dining experience, may offer higher fees or substantial reimbursement.
The shopper must cover the cost of the purchase out-of-pocket and then submit a receipt to receive reimbursement after the report is approved. This means the shopper must have the available funds to complete the assignment before being compensated. Payment is processed after the report is submitted and verified, often through direct deposit or electronic platforms like PayPal, following a waiting period outlined by the Mystery Shopping Provider Company (MSPC).
Requirements and Qualifications
The role of a secret shopper requires specific traits and reliable access to technology rather than specialized professional experience. Attention to detail is required, as the shopper must observe and recall numerous specific data points, such as employee names, exact times, and environmental conditions. The ability to follow detailed, multi-step instructions precisely is also necessary, as deviation from the script can invalidate a shop and result in non-payment.
Strong written communication skills are important because the primary output is a detailed, objective report requiring a narrative description of the experience. Shoppers must be reliable and able to meet strict deadlines for both the visit and the report submission. Necessary equipment includes reliable internet access for accepting assignments and submitting reports, and a smartphone for taking and uploading photo evidence, which is often required for the audit.
Finding Legitimate Opportunities
The most reliable way to find legitimate secret shopping work is by registering directly with established Mystery Shopping Provider Companies (MSPCs). These third-party firms are hired by client businesses to coordinate and manage the evaluation process. Registration with these companies is always free, and shoppers are classified as independent contractors.
A proactive approach involves utilizing industry resources like the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA) Global. The MSPA is a trade organization that provides a directory of member companies, serving as a starting point for identifying reputable firms. Since no single company has a monopoly on assignments, a shopper should register with multiple MSPCs to increase the volume and variety of available shops.
Avoiding Secret Shopper Scams
The secret shopping industry is frequently targeted by scammers, requiring vigilance against fraudulent schemes. A primary warning sign is any company that requests an upfront fee for registration, training, or a guaranteed list of jobs, as legitimate MSPCs never charge a fee to hire a shopper. Honest companies pay their contractors.
The most pervasive fraud is the fake check scam, where a prospective shopper receives a check for an amount greater than the agreed-upon payment. The scammer instructs the victim to deposit the check, use a small portion for the shop, and immediately wire the “overpaid” difference back. The check will inevitably bounce days later, leaving the victim responsible for the wired amount and any bank fees incurred. Never accept an assignment that requires depositing a check and then wiring funds, or purchasing gift cards and sending pictures of redemption codes.