Mystery Shopper: Job Profile and Role

The following blog revolves around a mysterious job: the job of a mystery shopper. But is it really that mysterious? Or is it a job like every other? Continue reading, and you will find out everything there is to know about the job of mystery shopper. We will take a close look at the responsibilities, what the job entails, the annual salary and possible employers. Furthermore, this blog will tell you all you need to know about education, qualifications, skills and what a day in the life of a mystery shopper looks like.

Short Summary

• A mystery shopper works behind the scenes of a company where he or she covertly assesses a company’s services, products and client interactions.
• A mystery shopper helps a company to improve and to maintain the highest standards in products, services and customer care.
• A mystery shopper assesses the relationship between an employer and his/her employees as well as assessing the way employees deal with customers face to face.

Job description

A mystery shopper is either employed by a specific company or hired by a third party to assess a business. As a mystery shopper, you will visit a store, where you will observe everything from sales to employee/customer interactions to shop standards and quality of products and services. As a mystery shopper, you will buy a product or service, thus turning into a customer yourself. It is vitally important that you act like an average client. The company’s employees are not to know that you are assessing their performance. After your field studies, you write a report. This details all you have observed. It also gives possible solutions and guidelines on improvement, which you will then discuss with the company that has hired you as a mystery shopper.

Responsibilities

• Writing reports
• Being objective
• Purchasing goods
• Adhering to ethics
• Being professional
• Staying anonymous
• Observing customers
• Ensuring data security
• Adhering to guidelines
• Interacting with employees

Different types of Mystery Shoppers

• Customer Feedback Shoppers
• Telephone Mystery Shoppers
• Traditional Mystery Shoppers
• Online Mystery Shoppers
• Video Mystery Shoppers

The Origins of the Job of a Mystery Shopper

The job of a mystery shopper might sound a wee bit far-fetched, when, in fact, it has pretty serious origins. When first introduced, mystery shopping was a way for private investigators to prevent employee theft at retail stores and banks. The term itself was then coined by WilMark in the 1940s.

Salary

Typically, the salary of a mystery shopper ranges from £20,300 to £32,850 annually. How much you earn depends on location, employer/company and work experience. If you want to become a mystery shopper, note that the average £20,300 are the annual wages for entry level mystery shoppers. The longer you have worked in this job, the higher your annual salary.

You should also check with your employers if your salary might increase through extra payments, such as commissions and holiday pay.

Working hours

The typical working hours of a mystery shopper are between 20 and 30 hours a week. These hours may vary depending on your employer and whether you are a full-time or a part-time mystery shopper. Also note that mystery shopping is only one part of your job description. Mystery shopping involves quite a bit of administrational work as well as preparation time before and after your mystery shop.

Depending on your employer and your workload, your working hours may include travelling. Make sure that spending time on trains, planes etc. and being constantly on the go works for you and the way you want your working life to be.

Employers

Mystery shoppers are employed by various industries. These can range from retailers to hotels, restaurants, bars and cafés. But these are not the only industries that are always on the lookout for a mystery shopper. Depending on your area of expertise, you might want to start looking in the finance or health sector or in real estate. If you are a tech wizz and love spending time online, you can start looking at online businesses. As a future mystery shopper, you may also find employment in the entertainment sector.

Qualifications

Being a mystery shopper may sound like a job that can be done regardless of your educational background. This is sort of true. In order to become a mystery shopper, it makes sense to have a degree in the following studies: psychology, business or criminal justice. Ideally, you apply for your first job with a Bachelor’s degree. You can further your job prospects by doing a Master’s degree.

Note that to become a mystery shopper, an academic degree is not obligatory. You can just as easily pursue this career by doing an apprenticeship, for example in marketing.

Academia is only one part of the qualifications necessary for being a mystery shopper. It can help your job performance if you have qualifications in communications and writing.

The job as a mystery shopper could be suitable for you if you have one or more of the following qualifications:

Skills

A mystery shopper does not only need to love shopping. As a mystery shopper, you will also have to be comfortable around people. This involves communication on a verbal and non-verbal level. You should also be a confident person who is not afraid to mingle with strangers. This section will explore these and further soft skills of a mystery shopper in more detail.

Ideally, you should have or develop the following skills:

Communication Skills

Communicating with people is a huge part of your job as mystery shopper. How else are you going to find out what works in a business and what does not? As a mystery shopper, you not only need to speak to employees and other customers. You also have to ask the right questions. That said, it will not hurt if your communication skills are accompanied by the right level of empathy and the ability to listen and read between the lines. Non-verbal communication skills are also vital. Looks, gestures and postures will tell you a lot about what is going on – and about what is not being said.

Observation Skills

Which brings us to the next vital soft skill of a mystery shopper: observation. This does not only apply to non-verbal messages. You will also have to have excellent observational skills for assessing your surroundings. What do the shop premises look like? Are they clean, is the available space used to its highest advantage? How are the products displayed? These technical things aside, you will also have to observe how the personnel interacts with the customers.

Writing Skills

After you have finished your practical assessment, you need to write down your findings and your thoughts. Mystery shopping includes reports that are then presented to and discussed with the company that hired you as a mystery shopper. Outstanding writing skills are therefore another skill vital to succeed in this job.

Career Path

Becoming a mystery shopper does not automatically mean that this is your job title right from the start. Depending on your academic background, you may start your future career as an office manager with a proclivity for shopping. This may result in higher positions over the years, including operations and general manager.

If you directly apply as a mystery shopper, you will start at entry level. Depending on your performance and overall insights, it is likely that you will climb to a higher position. The next step might involve a leading role in a company. Or it might involve going self-employed, offering your mystery shopper’s expertise to mystery shopping companies.

Educational Background

Becoming a mystery shopper works best if you have an academic degree in either business, criminal justice or psychology. The theoretical knowledge gained in these studies will help you understand the workings of the people you deal with. Typically, most mystery shoppers hold a Bachelor’s degree. It is also not unusual to find mystery shoppers with a Master’s degree.

Equally, it is possible to apply for a mystery shopper position without having been to university. An apprenticeship in a relevant field can also give you the chance to become a mystery shopper. If that is the case, you should prove that you have excellent writing and communication skills.

Gaining experience

Your first job as a mystery shopper will be at entry level. Starting from scratch may not sound like your dream, but it will help you gain valuable experience in your dream job. The longer you work in this field, the more experience you will gain. This consequently means that it will help you climbing the not so mysterious career ladder of a mystery shopper.

Continuous Learning

Gaining experience also means that you learn – by observing people, getting to know new trends and the intricacies of mystery shopping. This practical learning should be bolstered by more learning in your spare time. This may include improving your writing or communication skills by attending bespoke (online) workshops.

A Day in the Life of a Mystery Shopper

Mystery shopper sounds like a dream job come true? Since it means that you can pursue your favourite pastime, shopping? Let’s see if this is really the case. In the following section, we will take a closer look at a typical day in the life of a mystery shopper.

Preparing assignment and disguise

Before you embark on your mystery shopping, you need to prepare for the day ahead. This involves looking over your assignment brief. What does your employer want you to look at? This preparation is the first step when starting your day as a mystery shopper. After that, you need to prepare your disguise. Yes, all very cloak and dagger, but it might be seriously important – especially, when your own company has sent you on a mystery shopping assignment and your colleagues know you.

Visiting the shop

Assignment and disguise are done? Then you are off to the next step in your mystery shopper working day. You are now visiting the assigned shop. There, you will start with having a look around. You will browse the products, you will speak to other customers and the sales staff. You maybe will also buy something since this tells you all you need to know about the sales techniques and the way the staff treat their customers.

Evaluating the shopping experience

After you have left the shop, it is time to evaluate and write down your shopping experience. What are the things that jumped out at you – both positives and negatives? What has your mystery shop told you about the staff and their interactions with customers? What impression did you get of the premises? Are they ship-shape and if not, where is room for necessary improvements? After you have written your report, your day as a mystery shopper is pretty much over.

Tips for Thriving as a Mystery Shopper

Find the right company

Finding the right company is essential in order to thrive as a mystery shopper. This involves a lot of research and soul searching. Ideally, your client (company) shares the same values and ethics as you. How can this help you thrive, you may wonder? But being able to identify with your employer, you will be able to do the best possible job as mystery shopper.

Pay attention to detail

Always stay focused and look at even the tiniest detail. This may be a speck of dust or the most miniscule eyeblink of a member of staff. Noticing these minute details will help you to thrive as a mystery shopper.

Be professional

Maybe you are a perfectionist who is irritated by even the slightest blip? Do not let this get to you – and, more importantly: do not let this show on your face! Stay professional – this is maybe one of the most important tips for thriving as a mystery shopper.

Frequently Asked Questions