As the title suggests, a mystery shopper will try to conceal the fact that they are mystery shopping, which can make it difficult to know who is a genuine customer. You may have hired a mystery shopper to gain feedback on your staff and may be aware of when they intend to visit your premises. But, mystery shoppers can come from a variety of sources, from third party companies or even your local police force, who may be checking that you are challenging for restricted products.
If you haven’t hired a mystery shopper, take a look at our guide below which may help you identify a mystery shopper.
Asking lots of questions
Whilst your regular customers might ask a few questions about certain products, a mystery shopper will be particularly thorough with their questions. They might ask about your staff and how they are trained, specific questions about your products, your business practices and the history of your business. Make sure that if you have any staff, that they are equipped to answer these questions. They may also ask for things like your name, or pay particular attention to your name tag.
Making notes
Your customers may come to your store with a shopping list, which they might be carrying with them and crossing off items as they go around, but watch out for anyone making notes, as they could be a mystery shopper. When they come to your business, they will be tasked with making observations on some of the aspects of your store, so may need to take notes.
Taking photos
Snapping the odd selfie in public isn’t unusual these days, but be sure to watch out for anyone taking photos of your shop. Whilst your customer could be sending a “is this the right one?” message to someone back home, they could be using photos for their mystery shopping report.