Mystery Shopping

Dining for free just by being a mystery shopper sounds like a good deal. Actually, it sounds like an absolutely amazing deal.

I mean, how hard could it really be? I could sport a trench coat, pop my collar and peer through dark sunglasses like a secret agent. I’d slyly walk into a fine dining establishment, sample delicious gourmet foods, and report back with all the juicy details. Sounds like a cinch.

But it wasn’t as easy as I thought. After being briefed on the process, and flipping through the 12 page report I’d have to complete after my mystery shopper visit, I realised there were a flurry of things to remember and evaluate.

When I arrived at the restaurant, I knew I couldn’t miss a single detail. My ears perked to listen if the host greeted us. I took a close look at my utensils and surroundings to make sure everything was spotless. Then, feeling a little like a stalker, I secretly checked out all the wait staff, memorised their nametags and silently noted how well-groomed they were.

Apart from tasting and assessing my lunch, I also checked if the restaurant’s sign was well-lit, if the floors were clean, and whether the washroom was emitting any peculiar smells. It turns out being a shopping spy isn’t so glamorous after all.

It is, however, something that businesses are turning to more and more in China.

"What’s interesting right now is that we’ve started to see more Chinese clients in the last year showing interest in this.”

“In the beginning many of our clients were mostly Western-owned businesses,” says Laise Tan, assessment manager for JETT, a company that provides customer service training and mystery shopping programs in China.

“Many of them were already familiar with mystery shoppers, which have been around for a long time in Western countries. But in China it’s fairly new. What’s interesting right now is that we’ve started to see more Chinese clients in the last year showing interest in this.”

Service-oriented companies – usually in the retail, hospitality, or food and beverage sector – that use secret shopping programs normally receive ongoing detailed audits that are derived from feedback provided by hired mystery shoppers. Like a hard look in the mirror reflecting strengths and areas requiring improvement, businesses can use the data as a tool to improve customer service, and very likely, up their profitability.

In China, however, part of the mystery shopping industry’s challenge is how cheap prices have reigned over service as a key determinant in a business’ success, says JETT’s director Ed Dean. Chinese business leaders, dealing with high rates of employee turnover, also feel less inclined to invest in employees who are likely to leave in the short term.

“Many Chinese companies have had difficulty paying for mystery shopping – it’s seen as an intangible service,” says Christophe Cais, executive director of operations for Albatross Global Solutions, a mystery shopping provider in Asia with international corporations making up about 90 percent of its China clients.

But now, it seems more companies in China want to go beyond their own guesswork of how to improve.

It’s the next step for businesses, Cais says, who have firstly spent time focusing on brand-building and opening outlets to cover the Chinese market. Customer satisfaction, and building a reputation, is what can help a business stand out from its industry competitors.

 “Mystery shopping isn’t a magic wand,” Dean says. “It’s a dialogue for businesses between customers and themselves. And in China, they’re very hungry about what customers want.”