How much work do you get as a mystery shopper?

You have probably seen advertisements circulating around different media channels (mainly online) where “mystery shopping companies” guarantee work and guarantee that you will earn large amounts of money every month. Please do not fall for these advertisements. For the majority of the times these are scammers trying to get your personal details rather than offering you jobs. Remember the saying “If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”

So back to the original question – How much work do you get as a mystery shopper?

The answer is: It depends. It depends on many factors. 

Let’s go through the main ones:

·   Your location: Your location is very important for TWO main reasons. ONE: The mystery shopping company might not service clients in your area so there will be no work for you. TWO: There might be a lot of registered mystery shoppers applying for the same jobs you are. Sometimes there may be only  one job in your area and there may be a dozen mystery shoppers applying. That’s one reason why you are not guaranteed work. 

·   Your ability to travel: Following from the above point, if you are willing to travel a greater distance, you have the opportunity to apply for more jobs and increase your chances of picking up more assignments.

·   The stand down period: When was the last time you mystery shopped the same venue? If the venue conducts mystery shopping once a month and you keep going back every month, wouldn’t it become obvious to the staff members that you are the mystery shopper? For this reason, mystery shopping companies will rotate shoppers to help protect your identity. It also allows other shoppers to have a go at completing the job.

·   Your shopper profile: Different companies measure their shoppers’ performance differently. However, all companies will be looking through your reports and scoring them. In general, the more reliable you are to the company, the more they will entrust you with completing future assignments. Even though your reports might be excellent, if you continually submit reports late or decline lots of surveys this will show that you cannot be relied upon all the time.

·   Whether or not you apply for the job or not: There might be jobs available but you don’t want to do them. That’s fine, however we suggest that you give it a go as you might learn and experience a thing or two. We’ve had a shopper who wasn’t keen on going to gyms because in the past she thought that staff members were treating her as a nuisance because of her physical problems. She completed a gym mystery shop with Mystery Customer and went back later to sign up because the staff members there were supportive in assisting her with her problems.

Tips for getting more mystery shopping assignments

• Sign up with more companies (don’t sign up with too many unless you are REALLY organised)
• Know what the company expects from you. (that’s why signing up with many companies will be confusing)
• Read all instructions and scenarios thoroughly before completing the visit. You need to know what the mystery shopping company expects of you.
• Complete all assignments with quality and meeting the deadlines and only apply for the jobs you can do.If you need to decline it, decline it well ahead of the due by date.

How to select a mystery shopping company to work for?

You may be unaware that there are several scams circulating around the mystery shopping industry. Those ads saying that mystery shopping will pay you thousands of dollars every month are all scams. If you are asked to pay money to an overseas country, that is also a scam.

So what steps do you need to take when signing yourself up to the mystery shopping company? Below are 10 things you can do and should be aware of.

1. Australian Business Number (ABN).
Does the company have one? Check to see if the ABN matches their business name. See here http://www.abr.business.gov.au/

2. Check the Company on ASIC.
See if the company is listed on the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. See here https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landing/SearchRegisters.jspx?_adf.ctrl-state=bld47arqg_28  

3. Contact the Company.
If you are unsure whether the company is real, you should try and contact the company and talk to them or drop them an email.

4. Email Address.
Legitimate companies generally have business email addresses. Be careful of emails that have a free domain name such as @hotmail.com @google.com @yahoo.com @live.com

5. Company Website.
All mystery shopping companies should have a website. If there is no website or the website looks amateurish, you should be on high alert. Our website is www.mysterycustomer.com.au

6. Online Activity.
Check to see when the company’s website was last updated. If the website was last updated years ago, it may not be operating anymore. Find out if they have an active social media network. Mystery Customer's Facebook page is http://www.facebook.com/mysterycustomer

7. Paying to Sign Up.
We strongly advise against registering with companies that require you to pay money upfront to sign up. There is no guarantee that you will be provided with jobs, so save your money and register elsewhere!

8. MSPA Certified.
Check to see whether the mystery shopping company is a member of any professional association. The Mystery Shopping Providers Association is the professional association for mystery shopping companies around the world. Here's a list of Australian MSPA members: http://www.mspa-global.org/en/search-mspa-companies.html?company=&industria=0&servico=0&pais=-3&region=0&served=0

9. Get Rich Quick Claims.
Be careful of advertisements that claim to pay a lot of money. If the ad sounds too good to be true, it probably is. Mystery Customer always advise the remuneration or reimbursement when each job is offered.

10. Check to see if the scam has been reported.
Visit SCAMwatch at http://www.scamwatch.gov.au and see if you can find any scams that look similar to what you have seen. You can also find further tips on how to protect yourself from scammers.

What types of businesses get mystery shopped?

Most businesses can make use of mystery shopping. After reading this article, you will be amazed by the range of businesses that actually outsource the service to specialised companies such as Mystery Customer Pty Ltd to mystery shop them.

Where there are customers, there are customer touch points. Management often like to know how their employees are performing on the front line by keeping an eye on them through services such as mystery shopping. By knowing what happens, it allows the business to focus on things such as retraining staff.

Even manufacturing businesses which don't deal directly with the end consumer may carry out mystery shopping programs to find out how their products are being promoted and sold by the reseller.

Industries including: retail, accommodation, restaurants, transport, communication, finance, property, government, health and recreation are known to conduct mystery shopping programs to pin-point a number of key concerns so they can improve their business.

Here's a scenario:

1. The dealership you bought your car from that you drove to the shopper centre is probably mystery shopped by the manufacturer or even by the dealer themselves.
2. The shopping centre you frequently visit may conduct mystery shopping to find out whether the stores inside the centre are performing to certain guidelines.
3. The bank you visit to withdraw money from most likely gets mystery shopped to see if the staff members know their products and if they can be helpful to everyone they deal with.
4. After withdrawing your money to start shopping, you walk into the department store to look for a new TV. The department store might have a mystery shopping program in place to see whether or not the staff members were able to help you. In addition, the TV manufacturer might also be conducting a program themselves to see whether or not the staff member is providing the correct information and whether or not they are recommending their product over that of the competitors.
5. After all the shopping is complete, you decide to have a little bite at takeaway coffee chain. Believe it or not, they probably use mystery shopping services as well. 

Feel free to wander around your local shopping centre. There is a good chance that 50% or more of the stores have used or are currently using mystery shopping.

What does that mean for you as a shopper? There are plenty of jobs in and around your area. You just need to find the companies conducting them. 

Next Topic: How do you start mystery shopping?