Who doesn’t wish they could earn money while enjoying going to their favorite café, or buying from their favorite shop?
If you are one of those who are all in for getting extra bucks while visiting fancy restaurants, tasting expensive wines mystery shopping is just what you need.
It is something that anyone could do.
There are various mystery shopping ideas for anyone with above-average written, inter-communication skills.
What Is Mystery Shopping?
In super easy terms, mystery shopping refers to undercover shopping by some paid customers.
Mystery shopping is when a company hires a person to buy their products to analyze their business practices like employee behavior, store cleanliness, customer service or any other aspect that company wishes to know.
This can be online or telephonic as well.
What Do Mystery Shoppers Do?
Before we jump to mystery shopping ideas, it is important to know what the tasks are performed by mystery shoppers.
There are various companies that hire people to review their services and products.
A company set out different tasks for a mystery shopper to assist their businesses in doing customer research experience.
Different companies have different tasks depending on their needs and what is to be checked. Basically, a mystery shopper is to provide constructive feedback to the companies.
What Are The Types Of Mystery Shops?
There are quite a few types of shops, but it depends on the kind of company you collaborate with.
Here are a few general types of mystery shops.
(1) Retail: There are shops like Estee Lauder, which sell products relating to makeup, skincare, personal hygiene etc.
Any retail store that you usually buy from, could turn into a mystery shop for you, if they want a mystery shopper.
You could get items worth hundreds of dollars for free.
(2) Restaurants: There are restaurants which are cheap, like offering food for $30 to steakhouses with food pricing at $100.
You get free food, just know that you must review the food and service correctly.
(3) Dealership: There are various types of dealerships available, like car dealerships etc.
These dealerships can be online as well as offline.
Online requires you to call or book services online, and get paid around $3 to $5 for it.
You can also go to the car showrooms and want to book a car and earn up to $20 for the same.
Why Do Companies Hire And Pay Mystery Shoppers?
If a company is a big brand, it would want to know about its customers’ reviews about their products.
It isn’t easy to get exact reports about customer satisfaction until it is firsthand.
And this is the reason that companies hire and pay mystery shoppers.
Companies want to be sure about their ideals and strategies, and for that, the mystery shoppers become their eyes and ears.
The value that mystery shoppers hold for the companies is such that sometimes, the branding, merchandising and even training decisions.
How To Be A Mystery Shopper?
There might be some companies and businesses that look for mystery shoppers themselves, check for different companies’ websites for the same.
These could be the companies you believe might be interested in mystery shopping, companies requiring honest feedback or research.
Further, you could look for mystery shopper vacancies at third- party vendors that hire mystery shoppers for other companies.
With new companies coming, there are now a number of third-party mystery shopping service providers.
15 Best Mystery Shopping Companies Of 2024
Here are the best mystery shopping companies for mystery shopping jobs.
1. BestMark
BBB Rating: A+
BestMark is considered as one of the major mystery shopping businesses and has dozens of jobs to offer.
Your income depends on the kind and number of jobs you accept.
They provide for assignments at restaurants, hotels, call centres, resorts etc.
Field representatives is the name best-mark gives to its mystery shoppers.
2. Ath Power Consulting
BBB Rating: A+
Ath Power Consulting offers more than 10,000 jobs per month and there are half a million mystery shoppers already registered with it.
It offers jobs, in particular the section of the financial and banking industry.
You get paid twice a month after your job has been completed.
3. Sinclair Customer Metrics
BBB Rating: A+
Sinclair Customer Metrics offer jobs in banking, retail, grocery stores, restaurants and convenience stores.
They also offer video mystery shopping jobs, finished with a hidden camera.
They pay you in check once every month. After you complete your last assignment, they send in the payment in the last week of the month.
4. Signature Worldwide
BBB Rating: A+
If you want to work from home as a mystery shopper you can work with Signature Worldwide.
They provide telephone mystery shopping services to various companies in industries relating to construction, hotels, resorts, casinos, apartment, medical offices, restaurants etc.
They pay $10 on average for an hour.
5. BARE International
BBB Rating: B-
BARE International offers jobs online and offline, such as over the phone customer chats, physical calls, or radio visits.
They let you select five area codes, where you can put your mystery shopping ideas to work.
This makes the job easy and helps you increase your income.
6. Market Force Information
BBB Rating: A+
Market Force Information offers mystery shopping jobs in niches like retail, alcohol, tobacco, health and wellness, movie studios etc.
It also has an app which offers mystery shoppers to finish their jobs on the move. They offer jobs in various locations.
They deposit directly in your account on the 15th of every month.
7. Intellishop LLC
BBB Rating: A+
Intellishop provides jobs in niches like food service, fitness, real estate, retail stores etc.
You can do a job via them either offline, on the phone or online (on a website).
They pay through PayPal and income comes in a lump sum amount for all the assignments done, instead of each separate shop.
8. Secret Shopper
BBB Rating: A+
Secret Shopper is a site with free sign-up, secret shoppers provide great customer service. It was set up in 1993.
You can just sign up for free and in a few hours, you could be an employee at the site.
9. Sci-Elite CXS
BBB Rating: A-
Elite CXS is based in Hudson and has partnered with major brands like Porsche, Gold’s Gym, T-Mobile.
You can be a mystery shopper and can-do work via phone, video or in-person, across different industries.
They pay through PayPal, once every month.
10. Perception Strategies
BBB Rating: A+
Perception Strategies focuses mainly on healthcare. It already has 150,000 mystery shoppers.
As a mystery shopper, your job could be calling a doctor’s office or in-person visits with no prior appointment or full-length visit.
The company provides a list of area codes and cities, thus ensuring you get enough jobs to do.
11. A Closer Look
BBB Rating: NR
A Closer Look have a speciality in analyzing business customer experiences.
They can hook you up to a company as their mystery shopper.
They deal with companies in sectors like restaurants, hospitality, wellness, and retail, among others.
12. SeeLevel
BBB Rating: A+
You can be a mystery shopper with them and work in the fast food, retail, financial services and automotive industries.
You can also get a free meal when you join SeeLevel as a mystery shopper. They pay you through PayPal.
13. Shopper’s View
BBB Rating: A+
Shopper’s View is one of the founding members of MSPA, and they provide you with mystery shopping opportunities.
You can be a mystery shopper in food, retail, and sporting events, among others.
You can even get telephonic mystery shopping opportunities with them.
14. RBG – Reality Based Group
BBB Rating: NR
Reality Based Group are members of MSPA. They have mystery shopping opportunities not only offline but via video, written, online and telephonic.
They have clients like Goodwill, Cinnabon, SportyClips and Texas Roadhouse.
They indulge in sectors like department stores, bookstores, gyms, restaurants and banks.
15. Amusement Advantage
BBB Rating: A+
If you are an entertainment buff, this company has to be your fit.
Suppose you join Amusement Advantage as a mystery shopper.
In that case, you will indulge in mystery shopping for water parks, amusement parks, theme parks, aquariums, zoos, science centers, museums, bowling, entertainment centers, and any other entertainment venues or attractions.
You will get reimbursed for any guest expenses and could even earn extra money or free tickets.
What Are Some Precautions For A Mystery Shopper?
There are a lot of scams running in the name of mystery shoppers.
There are companies which aren’t legit and tend to bluff people about the same.
Legit companies or businesses will not ask you for any payment to become their mystery shopper.
Here are some of the ways to stay safe from scams in mystery shopping companies.
- Trusted List
You must use a mystery shopping company from a trusted list or source only. Even while signing up, you must trust the source. You check for their authenticity on Trustpilot BBB, or any other trusted platform.
- Depositing Money
As mentioned, no credible mystery shopping company would ask for any money, be it upfront, during or after you join them as a mystery shopper. They will not also ask you to wire any amount to a third party. That is a big sign that you are stepping into a scam.
What Are The Secrets To Being A Good Mystery Shopper?
To help you achieve those mystery shopping ideas, here are some secrets to being the best mystery shopper.
These tips would help you to be more efficient in your mystery shopping visits.
- Act Usual
If you get hired as a mystery shopper, you must not act differently, trying too hard to review everything.
Be your usual self and experience everything in that particular business like a normal customer. Inquire about products and services offered as a genuine customer.
For instance, if you are a mystery shopper for a restaurant, order what you would usually do, even tip the waiter if you usually do or find the service commendable. Do not act otherwise.
- Stay Professional
It might be difficult to provide feedback without opinions, but try and stick to the facts.
Give the review the way the company wants it. Stay professional. Do not bring in your personal bias.
For instance, if you go to a restaurant, write about the food, ambience, and waiting staff service, this is important for a better customer experience.
So do not write about your experience if you clicked more with one of the waiters, or if your favorite music played and you enjoyed it.
- Planning and Organizing
Plan your assignments, before you take them on. You must have the understanding of the assignment so as to complete it proficiently.
Make a checklist of all the requirements for the assignment. Further, organize your assignments in a way that you could save gas on trips.
For instance, if you have four assignments in total, and two of them fall in the same area, plan them in a way that you cover both of them together, to save money and time.
- Practical Feedback
The feedback you provide for the companies must be so that it is actionable, that is, it can be worked upon.
Vagueness and general feedback must be avoided. Such feedback which provides specific improvements or recommendations is appreciated by companies.
For instance, if you go to a restaurant, provide for improvements in specific areas like the food taste of a particular dish, or waiting for people’s service etc. Do not give general improvements, like music or lighting.
- Observe
Be attentive, and notice everything. As you step into the business requiring you to be the mystery shopper, start paying attention to everything possible.
Evaluate and focus on details like cleanliness of the compound, customer service etc. This will help you devise better feedback for the company.
- Follow Directives
Different companies provide different directives to be followed by their mystery shoppers.These directives are guidelines when giving feedback, or final report filing.
The companies are very specific about these directives, it is better and advisable to follow them to the core.
How Much Can A Mystery Shopper Earn?
The wages, although depend on sites and companies you work with. But there is a lot of research which provides different average daily incomes.
According to Indeed.com, the average income for a mystery shopper is $14.57/hour.
Whereas, according to Jobmonkey.com, for newcomers, the average income is around $8/hour and for experienced mystery shoppers it rises up to $25/hour.
Further, according to Ziprecruiter.com, the mystery shoppers’ average income is $706/week.
Thus, the income depends on the number of assignments you take and your experience as a mystery shopper brings you more income and more assignments.
Conclusion
Mystery shopping is thus a very simple and easy way to earn extra income. In this kind of economy, it is better to have extra income along with some free products and services.
There are various sites and companies that offer mystery shopper services and it is very easy to pair up with them.
Although you must be aware of any scams that run in the name of mystery shopping.
It is important that you are punctual and factual in your feedback on the assignments to the companies.
You can always get certified to establish your credibility.
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FAQs
You might require communication skills along with skills like professionalism, curiosity, attention to detail, reliability, curiosity along with knowledge about excellent customer service.
Although nearly all the mystery shopping companies offer competitive pay, BestMark may be the company that pays the most. As per Indeed, they pay around $20/hour.
Walmart does not hire mystery shoppers. Many retailers use mystery shoppers, but Walmart isn’t one of them.
A mystery shopping company that doesn’t need you to pay money is legit. Further, if a company has good ratings on Trustpilot and Better Business Bureau, they are credible.
