The first step in the market research process is to define your research objectives. What is the key information you would like your research to uncover? By defining what you intend on researching to start with, you'll be able to keep your research focused and effective. For example, you might want to decide whether to launch a new product.

Mystery shopping (related terms: mystery shopper, mystery consumer, mystery research,secret shopperand secret shopping and auditor) is a method used by marketing research companies and organizations that wish to measure quality of sales and service, job performance, regulatory compliance, or to gather specific information about a market or competitors, including products and services.

Mystery shoppers, typically mirror common consumer behavior in order to test the consistency of the habits deemed important to a specific brands or industry. Mystery shoppers, which are gig workers or independent contractors submit detailed reports and feedback about their experiences.

Industries & Common Usage[edit]

Mystery shopping assessments and reports range from simple questionnaires to audio and video recordings. Mystery shopping can be used in any industry, from B2C and B2B, though B2B is more rare. The most common users of this research method include retail, hotels, movie theaters, restaurants & fast food chains, manufacturers of goods sold in retail and e-commerce. Also, included are banks, gas stations, automotive manufacturers and dealerships, transportation services, apartments, real estate & property management firms, health & fitness clubs and human and pet health care.

Growth[edit]

The mystery shopping industry had an estimated value of nearly $600 million in the United States in 2004, according to a 2005 report commissioned by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). Companies that participated in the report experienced an average growth of 11.1 percent from 2003 to 2004, compared to an average growth of 12.2 percent. The report estimates more than 8.1 million mystery shops were conducted in 2004. The report represents the first industry association attempt to quantify the size of the mystery shopping industry. The Independent Mystery Shoppers' Coalition reports there are 1.5 million mystery shoppers in the United States alone. Similar surveys are available for European regions where mystery shopping is becoming more embedded into company procedures.

As a measure of its importance, customer/patient satisfaction is being incorporated more frequently into executive pay. A study by a U.S. firm found more than 55% of hospital chief executive officers surveyed in 2005 had 'some compensation at risk,' based on patient satisfaction, up from only 8% to 20% a dozen years ago.'^[1] In the United Kingdom, a Mystery Shoppers Practitioners' Group has been established under the auspices of the Market Research Society.^[2]

A 2011 survey by the American Express company found a clear correlation between a company's attention to customer service and customers' willingness to pay more for good service.

CBC Television's news magazine program Marketplace ran a segment on this topic during a January 2001 episode.^[3]

Early Companies Supplying Mystery Shopping or Secret Shopping Services[edit]

- ABOUTFACE

- Bare International

While Hermione's (Emma Watson) cat torments Ron's (Rupert Grint) sickly rat, causing a rift among the trio, a swarm of nasty Dementors is sent to protect the school from Black. Harry potter and the prisoner of azkaban 2004 full movie free. A mysterious new teacher helps Harry learn to defend himself, but what is his secret tie to Sirius Black?Cast:,Director:Genres:,ChildrenProduction Co: Heyday Films, Warner Brothers, 1492 PicturesKeywords:,. Based onRelease Date:DVD Release Date:PG 2 hr 21 minFollow the movie onand Plot SummaryHarry Potter's (Daniel Radcliffe) third year at Hogwarts starts off badly when he learns deranged killer Sirius Black (Gary Oldman) has escaped from Azkaban prison and is bent on murdering the teenage wizard.

- Bestmark

- [1]- Michelson & Associates

- Second to None

Ethics[edit]

Mystery shopping organizations advise that their research should only be used for employee incentive programs and that punishment or firing is an inappropriate use of mystery-shopper data. However, stories of employees being fired as a direct result of negative mystery shopper feedback are not uncommon.^[4]

The Trade Organization for Mystery Shopping Providers, MSPA has defined a Code of Professional Standards and Ethics Agreement for Mystery Shopping Providers and for Mystery Shoppers. Other organizations that have defined standards for Mystery Shopping are ESOMAR, MRS and MRA. The most widely used set of professional guidelines and ethics standards for the Market Research industry is ISO

In the state of Nevada, mystery shoppers must be licensed by the PILB board and work under a company that has a private investigators license in order to perform mystery shopping jobs. Unlicensed mystery shoppers may face fines.

In June 2008, the American Medical Association's Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs released a recommendation on the use of 'secret shopper patients.' The Recommendation: 'Physicians have an ethical responsibility to engage in activities that contribute to continual improvements in patient care. One method for promoting such quality improvement is through the use of secret shopper 'patients' who have been appropriately trained to provide feedback about physician performance in the clinical setting.'^[5] However, in 2009, the council decided to withdraw the report 'in light of further testimony heard at the 2008 Interim Meeting [of the AMA House of Delegates].'^[6]

UK Case Study[edit]

The UK government's Crown Commercial Service operated a Mystery Shopper scheme from February 2011 to November 2018, whose remit was to provide a route for suppliers to raise concerns about public procurement practice in England.^[7] The service was re-branded as the 'Public Procurement Review Service' in November 2018 responding to feedback from suppliers and public bodies that the 'mystery shopper' title did not properly reflect the role of the service.^[8]

Additionally, since 2010, mystery shopping has become abundant in the medical tourism industry, with healthcare providers and medical facilities using the tool to assess and improve the customer service experience.^[9] In the UK, mystery shopping is increasingly used to provide feedback on customer services provided by local authorities, and other non-profit organizations such as housing associations and even churches.^[10]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Health Care Taps 'Mystery Shoppers' at Wall Street Journal, August 8, 2006
2. ^ Morrison, L. J., Colman, A. M., & Preston, C. C., 'Mystery customer research: Cognitive processes affecting accuracy,' Journal of the Market Research Society, Vol. 39, 1997, pp 349-361.
3. ^'Mystery shopping: Billion dollar industry keeps retailers in check'. Cbc.ca. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
4. ^Osterweil. Willie (June 4, 2012). 'The Secret Shopper'. The New Enquiry. Retrieved September 7, 2012.
5. ^'Microsoft Word - CEJA Opinions and Reports.doc'(PDF). Retrieved 2012-09-25.
6. ^'9-A-09 Secret Shopper Patients'. www.ama-assn.org. Retrieved 2015-12-21.
7. ^Crown Commercial Service, Mystery Shopper: scope and remit, updated 28 January 2016, accessed 15 September 2016
8. ^Cabinet Office, Mystery Shopper: Scope and Remit, updated 29 November 2018, accessed 4 January 2019
9. ^Mystery shopping new trend in Medical Tourism, NovasansArchived June 17, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
10. ^'Mystery worshippers test church'. BBC News. 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2012-09-25.

Use These Methods to Keep Your Target Market Research FreshYou’ve done your target market research homework and have created an ideal customer profile. But just how long does this stay relevant to your niche?Conditions and technology are always changing, which makes research an ongoing process. If your doesn’t keep up, it can become out of date. What your prospects were interested in one month ago may become something else the next depending on the latest trends and financial climate where they live. 1 – Make a plan for regular planning and researchIn order to stay up to date with the latest changes your brand needs to create a specific schedule in order to. It’s best to do this well before you have a new product to launch or an update for your branding. The more consistent you are the better your results will be with the use of precise tools that can provide frequent alerts.

2 – Improve what you have to offerKeep in mind the golden rule of customer sales and that it is, “what’s in it for me?” Your current research will help you offer improved products and services, often exceeding their expectations over the competition. Through communication and you can also discover better ways to help them solve their problems.

3 – Offer valuable information onlineThere are many ways to add value to and to keep them informed:. Maintain a strong social media presence and interact daily with your fans and followers. Regularly write a company blog and try to get interaction and conversation going among readers. Conduct surveys and analyze results on a regular basis.

As for reviews and feedback. Spend time on specific social groups related to your business.4 – Segment your current listsTake a look at who is specifically purchasing your products or services and why. Divide these into depending on they type of transaction, the geographical location, whether this is a new purchase, the age and gender of the buyers, ect. This type of information will enable you to introduce something to your customers that they may not have considered before, and would be most likely to buy. 5 – Stay up to date with your competitionOne of the best ways to make adjustments in your sales and marketing strategy is to track what your, why, and how much they are being charged. This will help you determine whether your business can offer them something different or even better at a price that is appealing. Check out the various reviews online and on social media — these are great places to gather consumer feedback without having to directly approach them.

6 – Keep your website up-to-dateTest both your content and website on a regular basis in order to ensure you are reaching a wide audience on various devices. Your, specific to your target market’s needs, and current. A website that is adapted to the latest technology will garner the most engagement and increases your chances of a potential buyer taking action. 7 – Look at both the numbers and behaviorInclude both qualitative research, which is focused on the actual data, as well as quantitative research, which provides insights on consumer actions, feedback, and the latest trends. Each one provides enough results that go beyond just statistics and considers all of the various scenarios that can affect a buyer’s.It’s easy to assume that your target market’s preferences are still the same, and that the products they loved before will always continue to be in demand. Companies that stay on top of the latest trends and technology are able to maintain their client base while growing their sales for the future. Base your marketing decisions on hard data collected directly from your target market research on a regular basis.