5 Mystery Shopping Program Benefits

There are many mystery shopping program benefits. From keeping an eye on the competition to seeing how that last wave of training is working out on the sales floor, a mystery shopping program can highlight areas that are doing well as well as areas that need some more attention. It’s a qualitative and quantitative way to take your company’s pulse and check on performance, brand perception, and the general customer experience.

With most providers, mystery shopping programs are customizable and personalised to a business’ exact specifications. Generally, these programs include using mystery shoppers (also known as secret shoppers) to evaluate elements of the business like sales procedures, store cleanliness and presentation, and customer brand perception. Mystery shopping can provide insights into many aspects of a business.

5 mystery shopping program benefits that can help any business:

Check Store Presentation and Sales Material Performance

This one is particularly useful for retailers or any business with a physical storefront. If you’ve ever wondered if your shop is kept in clean condition, or if the marketing material provided is correctly displayed, this is something that a mystery shopping program can help discover.

Evaluate How Staff is Performing

Do you ever wonder if that last wave of customer service training actually had an impact? Why not use mystery shopping to check? By sending in mystery shoppers you can evaluate how your staff is living up to your brand promises, managing complaints, and dealing with customers in general. Mystery shopping can also provide an HR department with actionable insights on individual or group staff performance.

Mystery shopping program benefits also come into play online

Mystery shopping benefits of in-store shopping

Get to know how Customers perceive your brand

When customers come into your store or search for your business online, what do they think about your brand? Has your latest CSR push made the difference you were hoping for? Is your brand living up to its promise? Brand perception is more than just brand image, it’s about the buying process, the entire customer experience. By using mystery shoppers you can see how customers experience your brand and the processes they go through to make a purchase.

Test Functionality of Internal Procedures and SOPs

One of the best mystery shopping program benefits is the ability to test internal functions. How do internal systems and standard operating procedures work? Does staff find them easy to implement, are they even using them or do they not work as well in action as they did on paper? Mystery shopping can also check to see if maybe your SOPs need to be updated.

Analyse the Competition

Knowing where you stand in relation to your primary competitors is just smart business. Mystery shopping the competition can provide you with detailed analysis to see how your business can perform better and even outstrip your rivals. Use a good mystery shopping program to help you carve out your own niche in a highly competitive industry, no matter what that industry might be.

These are just 5 mystery shopping program benefits your company can use to help identify areas in need of attention. There are plenty of other benefits to be had, and a good mystery shopping company can guide you through setting up the best program suited to your business.

Would you like to know more about which mystery shopping program benefits you can make work to your advantage? We're always happy to answer any questions you might have.