What Is A Secret Shopper Anyway?

Secret shoppers are individuals who are hired to shop at local stores or other venues and report on their experience. A variety of companies and organizations today use secret shopper services to evaluate and enhance customer service, cleanliness, and other aspects of the business.

The secret shopper industry has grown tremendously and is now employed in a variety of sectors including ski resorts, spas, zoos, and residential real estate. In January 2008, the US secret shopping industry was estimated to be worth $800 Million and growing steadily at about 11 %.

A main factor contributing to the rise in the secret shopper industry has been the availability of the internet, essentially in creating awareness about the field and recruiting secret shoppers.

Although becoming a secret shopper is an exciting and diverse business opportunity, it cannot be ones sole source of income (full time) due to the nature of the employment. For part time work however, secret shopping is a great job as it allows you to be very flexible in terms of hours and days worked. You pick your assignments, work only when you can and want to work, pick your own hours, and set your own "lunch breaks". Once you commit to an assignment however, you must fulfill your commitment and follow through with the assignment.

There are many perks to becoming a secret shopper, the main one being reimbursement for any expenses the assignment requires. Typical expenses are usually

• Purchasing a particular item (or any item under a certain dollar amount, and you get to keep the item too!)
• Food at a restaurant
• Movie tickets
• Admission (zoos, amusement parks)
• Etc.

Another great thing about secret shopping is the diversity of your job. You almost never go to the same place twice; each assignment is a new adventure! For stay at home moms, secret shopping is a great job since it allows them to take their kids to work, allowing them to earn a part time income. Secret shopping is also great for students since it allows them the flexibility their schedule requires.

Eating out and shopping for free while making extra money; what could be difficult about that? But it's not all that simple. Secret shoppers provide valuable market research through firsthand accounts of products or services.

Once a secret shop assignment is completed, the shopper must report on his or her findings. Often there is a script of questions to be asked during the experience. A specific item or items may be required to be ordered from the menu. The job or the secret shopper is grading customer and patron service as well as product quality or taste and other elements. Secret shopping is a job unlike any other, but it is still a job with work to be done and a level of quality to be maintained.

Secret shoppers will continue to be an important tool in evaluating the retail sector for years to come.

Click here to learn more about how you can become a secret shopper