Introduction to Mystery Shopping
Secret shopping, to put it simply, is visiting businesses in order to give them feedback. Each business is different in what they want, but typically it involves making a small purchase (often reimbursed) in a store, eating dinner in a restaurant, asking questions of employees, and that sort of thing. Most secret shops are organized through research companies -- each research company taking various businesses as clients, and then organizing shoppers and a survey form to fit their needs.
Keep in mind, everyone's experience will be different depending on which sites you join, your ability to rate companies, and where you live:
* Metropolitan / urban / high population areas will tend to have more businesses doing secret shopping; however, they also tend to have more secret shoppers!
* Rural areas will have fewer businesses participating, but fewer shoppers, so often the companies will offer bonuses to complete jobs after a certain amount of time has passed without someone accepting the job.
* The larger the area that you can take jobs in, the more jobs you can potentially do (of course, you don't want to end up paying all of your profits in gas, so be careful).
* Each site will offer different businesses, so it's important to sign up with several different companies (the more, the better).
* Poor performance counts; if you miss a secret shop, or don't fill out the forms correctly, you can be denied pay or kicked off a site completely. Only take jobs that you know you'll be free to do, and make sure you understand the directions in advance!
* Expect not to be paid right away; delay in payment typically runs from 14 to 60 days; some sites take even longer.
It's important, when taking secret shopper jobs, to realize that not all of them are worth it. To me, a 45 minute or an hour job paying only $5 isn't worth it; if it's next door, or you were heading over there anyway, maybe it's worth it to you. Make sure you carefully determine the location of the site and the length and complexity of the job before accepting. Some do require purchases that are not fully reimbursed, so be careful of what you agree to first!
Some general tips:
1. Read all the information about the job before you go, and take some small notes to review just before entering the store.
2. Take jobs that you will enjoy. You will do better!
3. Check sites often to watch for new secret shops being released. Other shoppers are competing for the same jobs, so the longer you wait, the more that jobs will be picked over.
4. Learn the methods that each site uses to recruit for shops. I separate my bookmarks by sites that post available jobs on their website for searches (and check back daily), and those that just contact by e-mail when shops are open. Some sites do both, but it's always a good idea to check their website.
5. Do not pay a fee to join. Reputable sites are free.
Keep in mind, everyone's experience will be different depending on which sites you join, your ability to rate companies, and where you live:
* Metropolitan / urban / high population areas will tend to have more businesses doing secret shopping; however, they also tend to have more secret shoppers!
* Rural areas will have fewer businesses participating, but fewer shoppers, so often the companies will offer bonuses to complete jobs after a certain amount of time has passed without someone accepting the job.
* The larger the area that you can take jobs in, the more jobs you can potentially do (of course, you don't want to end up paying all of your profits in gas, so be careful).
* Each site will offer different businesses, so it's important to sign up with several different companies (the more, the better).
* Poor performance counts; if you miss a secret shop, or don't fill out the forms correctly, you can be denied pay or kicked off a site completely. Only take jobs that you know you'll be free to do, and make sure you understand the directions in advance!
* Expect not to be paid right away; delay in payment typically runs from 14 to 60 days; some sites take even longer.
It's important, when taking secret shopper jobs, to realize that not all of them are worth it. To me, a 45 minute or an hour job paying only $5 isn't worth it; if it's next door, or you were heading over there anyway, maybe it's worth it to you. Make sure you carefully determine the location of the site and the length and complexity of the job before accepting. Some do require purchases that are not fully reimbursed, so be careful of what you agree to first!
Some general tips:
1. Read all the information about the job before you go, and take some small notes to review just before entering the store.
2. Take jobs that you will enjoy. You will do better!
3. Check sites often to watch for new secret shops being released. Other shoppers are competing for the same jobs, so the longer you wait, the more that jobs will be picked over.
4. Learn the methods that each site uses to recruit for shops. I separate my bookmarks by sites that post available jobs on their website for searches (and check back daily), and those that just contact by e-mail when shops are open. Some sites do both, but it's always a good idea to check their website.
5. Do not pay a fee to join. Reputable sites are free.
posted by The Reviewer at 2:36 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home