Care to be a mystery shopper? There are challenges, too

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Companies and government agencies in the UAE are now employing mystery shoppers, usually from third-party organisations.

She walks in confidently with a carefully hidden script in her bag. Maybe she’s typed notes in her phone, glancing at them occasionally or dexterously recording audio, as she calmly speaks to employees.

Keeping track of how long it takes a manager to resolve a purchasing problem, she looks for expired signs or garments with unclear pricing. She peeks her head in different store aisles to see if the merchandise is arranged neatly. Sometimes, you’ll find her at nightclubs or even ride-sharing vehicles.

Thirty-seven-year-old Ursula’s job is to carefully observe work policy practices. She is a mystery shopper which means she poses as an ‘undercover customer’ who is hired to observe, interact, rate and report on the quality of services by companies and government agencies.

“I started mystery shopping when I was 17, because it gave me a chance to interact with the real world,” said Ursula Manvatkar, who has been into this business for the last 20 years and is now the managing director of Dubai-based Medulla Productions and Consulting LLC.

“The task typically entails silently observing and taking notes of one’s experiences at a particular office, branch, service centre or store,” said Ursula, who now hires mystery shoppers for her company.

Companies and government agencies in the UAE are now employing mystery shoppers, usually from third-party organisations, to rate the quality of their services. “You will not get rich by mystery shopping. It is just a source of extra income for some. But if shoppers do a great job, they can easily earn Dh100 per assignment.”

However, there is a higher purpose to it all. Integrity checks, price consistency and sometimes understanding the reasons for slow moving sales are the chief concerns. “My company provides mystery shoppers to retailers as part of their regular audit exercise. It helps them get honest feedback beyond what they read in the visitor’s book.”

While the work apparently seems effortless, most mystery shoppers are given extensive training before undertaking exercises. “I have conducted automotive mystery shopping which requires specific knowledge about the subject, so study and training is important.

I’ve been to showrooms to test the discounts and other perks offered by executives.”

One of the common trends the secret shopper has noticed in the last few years, is that often, many cashiers do not handout the bill at the end of a transaction. In her customer journey to salons and spas, Ursula has observed that “often employees want to upsell products without the knowledge of their managers.”

‘Its not about freebies’

All is not always hunky-dory in this business of “apparent freebies”. Often, during work, many mystery shoppers are faced with challenges and end up losing both their precious time and money.

Ursula said once she tried out several dresses and spent quite a few hours looking at things. Eventually, she got friendly with one of the salesgirls who had catered to her and, this was where she made a mistake.

“In the course of this casual conversation, I happened to ask what her name was. This was reported by the girl to her manager who had suspected me to be a mystery shopper. I was revealed. I was never paid for that work and I lost thousands of dirhams, as I had bought quite a few dresses.” There’s lots to remember, and sometimes it can detract from the experience. One is expected to give feedback while it’s fresh. So, often mystery shoppers have to wake up in the wee hours of the day to write detailed, focused and articulate reports.

It’s said, globally, 66 per cent of customers prefer to voluntarily reach out instead of doing surveys. Approximately 72 per cent feel surveys annoy them during their online shopping experience. A majority 80 percent don’t even bother completing a survey they’ve started.

Bearing in mind these figures and while the retail is king, it seems mystery shoppers who make human-to-human calls unlike the window shopper or online reviewers, have a long way to go before they lose their relevance.