Mystery shoppers in China

How do we recruit mystery shoppers in China?

Daxue Consulting recruits its mystery shoppers through:

• Networking
• Internet
• Universities (MBAs especially)

What do mystery shoppers do?

The main task of a mystery shopper is to fill out a survey.

• Mystery shoppers receive a detailed survey from the market research firm about the client’s stores.
• They go to the client’s stores in order to complete the survey.
• They have a scenario which tells them how to act when they reach the store.
• They complete a task at the store which can include asking the employees questions, purchasing an item, or registering a complaint.

The use of cell phones in mystery shopping

Mobile phones are making it easier to do mystery shopping. They can be useful for:

• Helping the mystery shopper to remember the questions of the survey in a discrete way.
• Taking photos of the store.
• Recording conversations with store employees.

Mystery shoppers have to be careful

Mystery shoppers need to pay attention.

• Mystery shoppers have to be careful to remember the details of their scenario. It can look strange if the facts change!
• Store employees can get suspicious if a mystery shopper is careless and this lowers the quality of the mystery shopping survey.
• They must be ready to think on their feet!

What mystery shoppers should not do

Mystery shoppers need to be careful about some of their actions.

• Mystery shoppers should not take out the survey in the store.
• They should not be obvious if they are taking pictures in the store.

What you can get from mystery shoppers in China

Mystery shopping is useful for getting undercover information about clients’ stores. A company can learn about:

• The quality of service
• The knowledge, appearance, and attitude of store employees
• How long it takes before an employee greets a customer
• The cleanliness of the store
• The availability of parking

This information will help clients improve their business practices and correct any problems.