How to become a mystery shopper, read to find out how you will not spend but get money in return for your shopping.
Do you dream about new clothes, designer jewellery and luxury make-up? Do you believe in the phrase, ‘shop till you drop’?
How about I tell you that now you can mint money through shopping?
Yes! It is true.
You can make shopping your career and instead of spending money on buying new stuff, you can extract some.
A new method of market research, mystery shopping enables the retailers and corporates to understand the loopholes in the franchise system and the sales department of the company, while it gives an opportunity to the shopper to fetch some money out of a plain simple shopping experience. Mystery shoppers need to provide reports on the quality of the products and services of the particular company and collate information on what products sell more and the popularity/feedback of a particular product or service.
While the retailers can get a review of the customer’s shopping experience of their brand’s outlet or service centre that will help them to improvise on the customer’s service standards, mystery shoppers get a fair share of the deal by earning some cash and getting an added excuse to shop. If you want to take up shopping as a freelance option or a part-time job, you will need to visit an outlet and pretend to be like normal customers while noting down other customer’s details in order to submit reports to the mystery shopping agency.
You will also need to clarify minute information regarding what will be good or bad for a customer’s experience in the outlet for instance, the hygiene and ambience of the store, the hospitality factor, the quality of service provided to the customers and whether the company employees are following the dress code, et al. Some elementary skills might help in your selection as a mystery shopper like eye for detail, communication and language skills and sharp memory as well as analytical or evaluation skills. Your smart shopper techniques will come handy to capture products and services provided to the clients on camera without letting the staff know.
To become a mystery shopper, you will need to register yourself with a mystery shopping company and apply for assignments, visit stores, evaluate based on what the company requires you to do, write and submit report, send purchase receipts and images so that you can receive the final payment.
Your assignments will vary on the demographics of your target audience. You may be the ideal customer for a certain client in the way that your style, body language, behaviour, etc. may be in similitude to the client, which will make you more suitable for the task, if that is the kind of client the company wants to adhere to. If you can prove yourself to be a smart mystery shopper and do not say unbelievable things while speaking to the employees or accidentally reveal your true identity, you will have the scope to win elaborate and multiple tasks rather than simpler ones.
While some policies offer a small stipend for your time and effort ranging from Rupees 100- 1000, some might refund your complete purchase amount (the amount you spend on shopping while reviewing the customers) with or without an additional stipend. Hotel evaluations may, on the other hand, fetch you approx. Rupees 50,000 or more.
While mystery shopping can be quite an experience, you must be prepared to wait for 30-90 days after successfully completing your assignment, for receiving the payment in your bank account. You must also ensure that the mystery shopping agency you are working with, is a legitimate one and is registered with globally recognized Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).
As you grow to build trust with your agency, the quality of assignments and the monetary gains will improve. You are also judged on the basis of your commitment to deadlines. Regularly checking your assignment updates and standing up to the agency’s expectations are also keys to being a successful mystery shopper.
Shopaholics, are you paying attention?
Now make your shopping experience more rewarding instead of a regretful one.
