Mystery shopping (i.e., secret shoppers) uses what type of method for collecting primary data
Different Methods of Mystery ShoppingAs mentioned previously, the principles of mystery shopping can be applied to any way in which prospective customers can interact with your brand. This means the methods will vary from industry to industry. However, the most popular methods are: Show
In-Person Mystery ShoppingArguably the most common type, and likely what you imagine when you think of mystery shopping, is when a secret shopper visits a location armed with predetermined criteria which they use to measure the staff and businesses performance. This kind of shop can take anywhere from minutes to hours depending on the nature of what is being measured, the purpose of the shop, and the businesses specific type of industry. In-person mystery shops are great for businesses where a shopper can present themselves as a potential customer without causing any suspicion. As a result, they are mostly used by the following industries:
Telephone Mystery ShoppingAn alternative to physically visiting a location is for secret shoppers to call in to a business. This kind of mystery shopping is heavily used to assess call centres, but shouldn’t be overlooked by any business who can be reached by phone as it’s important that your customers have the same level of experience regardless how they interact with your brand. Telephone mystery shops can mimic anything from completing a remote purchase to simply calling for additional information. This type of secret shopping is primarily used by the following industries:
Virtual Mystery ShoppingVirtual mystery shops, sometimes called internet mystery shops, are when a secret shopper engages with a brand online. As we’ve seen in our Changes in Consumer Habits Reports, online shopping has been on a steady rise and is showing no signs of receding – making this type of program increasingly important. These virtual shops are conducted by a secret shopper who assesses how responsive a company is online, how easy their website is to navigate, or how they interact with customers on social media. Similar to telephone mystery shopping, virtual mystery shopping should not be overlooked by any brand with a digital presence, but is most commonly used by the following industries:
Multiple Touchpoint (Hybrid) Mystery ShoppingMany companies require multiple types of mystery shopping to accurately measure their overall customer experience (CX). As we mentioned at the beginning, your mystery shopping program should mirror how your customers interact with your brand. This method is great for assessing alternate purchasing methods such as curb-side pickup and 3rd party delivery. Hybrid mystery shopping involves secret shoppers following an entire customer journey - from the internet to the telephone to a live experience. Depending on the nature and size of your business, many companies benefit from hybrid mystery shops, but they are most commonly used by the following industries:
What type of primary research is mystery shopping?Mystery shopping is a type of market research that uses a secret shopper to act as a true customer to evaluate the customer experience in-person, over the phone, or online. The professional mystery shopper evaluates several different aspects of the customer experience which often include: Levels of service.
What type of method do mystery shoppers use to collect data?Researchers may gather mystery shopping data by performing actions such as filling out an online inquiry form, making a purchase, or utilizing the online “chat” feature to evaluate the customer service experience.
What is the mystery shopper method?Mystery shopping is an observational research methodology that ensures brands consistently deliver on the promises they make to customers. It leverages trained “shoppers” to go through product or service interactions across your enterprise and report back with a detailed and objective account of their experience.
Is mystery shopping a primary research?It is a form of primary market research that uses quantitative techniques as the mystery shopper usually has to fill out a form rating his experience. Also, this method is used for accessing services only and is not applicable to products.
|
