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Guide · Mystery shopping

What is a mystery shopper? A guide for businesses.

What a mystery shopper does, what a programme can measure, and how to set one up so the results are fair to your staff and useful to you.

5 min read7 steps6 checks
Staff member talking with a shopper and her child in a toy store
Use results to find patterns across sites and over time. One visit on its own proves little.The one thing to remember

Start here

What a visit shows, and what it doesn't.

What a mystery shopper is, what a programme measures and how to run one fairly. Follow the line; tap any point to read it.

Store launch team in matching black inside the UNIQLO store in Birmingham
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Staff member with a shopper at the Space NK store launch at the Trafford Centre

What a mystery shopper is

A mystery shopper is a briefed visitor who behaves like an ordinary customer, follows a scenario agreed in advance, and then reports exactly what happened.

  1. Scenarioagreed in advance
  2. Visitas an ordinary customer
  3. Reportexactly what happened
Key pointA mystery shopper reports what happened, in order and in detail. Their role is observation, not opinion.
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Two staff at a welcome desk in centre:mk, Milton Keynes

What mystery shopping measures

Most programmes look at the customer's journey from start to finish.

  1. Greeting
  2. Product questions
  3. Extras and promotion
  4. Paying
  5. How it ended
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Two staff in matching black outside a Space NK store

The benefits of mystery shopping

The main benefit is seeing the customer experience as it actually happens, at the moment it happens.

  • The real experience
  • Consistency
  • Training needs
  • Plans on the shop floor
  • Benchmarks
Key pointUse results to find patterns across sites and over time. One visit on its own proves little.
04Step 4 of 7
Staff member with a clipboard beside a chocolate display in store

Building a mystery shopper checklist

The checklist, or questionnaire, decides the quality of everything that follows.

  1. Factual questions
  2. Visit order
  3. Weighting
  4. Pilot visits
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Staff member in a branded jacket with leaflets outside the ground in Mansfield

Choosing and briefing the shoppers

Shoppers should fit the profile of the customers you are testing for.

  • Fits the profile
  • Not known to staff
  • Briefed on the scenario
  • Worked example report
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Staff member holding products beside the coat rails in the UNIQLO store in Birmingham

Running a programme fairly

Good practice is to tell staff that mystery shopping takes place, without telling them when.

  1. Tell staffa programme is running
  2. Visit
  3. Coach and recognise
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Team lined up inside the Popeyes restaurant in Basingstoke on opening day

From reports to action

Results are most useful when they go back to the people who can act on them.

  1. Site reportto the manager
  2. What to changeclear notes
  3. Next wavetrends over time

Checklist

Before the first visit.

Ready for wave one.

Staff member at a Charbonnel et Walker tasting counter in store

At a glance

A programme, stage by stage.

What each stage of a mystery shopping programme aims for, with one tip for each.

StageAimTip
ScopeDecide what to measure and whereStart from the customer journey
ChecklistObservable, factual questionsPilot it before the first wave
ShoppersBelievable as your customersNever known to the staff
VisitsConsistent scenariosReport straight after leaving
ResultsPatterns across sites and timeCoach, don't punish

Quick answers

Mystery shopping questions, answered.

Short answers for businesses planning a mystery shopping programme.

How many visits does a programme need?

Enough to see patterns rather than one-off moments. That means several visits per site over time, at different days and hours, so no single visit decides a result.

Should my staff know about mystery shopping?

Yes, it is good practice to tell staff a programme exists, without saying when visits will happen. It keeps the process fair and makes results easier to use for coaching.

Can mystery shoppers make purchases?

Yes. Whether a purchase is made, what is bought and how it is reimbursed or returned are all set in the brief before the first visit.

Can mystery shopping check our promotion in other retailers' stores?

Yes. Brands use visits to check that products are on shelf, prices are correct and promotional material is in place in the stores that stock them.

Can I work as a mystery shopper with you?

If you're looking for work rather than commissioning visits, register with us.

Staff member welcoming a customer at the door of the Popeyes restaurant in Milton Keynes

Further reading

What is merchandising? A guide for brands

What merchandisers do on a store visit, and how audits and planogram checks keep products where shoppers expect them.

Read the guide →

Planning visits?

How EXECUTIONAL can help.

We supply mystery shoppers across the UK, briefed on your scenario and questionnaire and matched to your customer profile, with reports returned after each visit.

Ask for a quote →