Mystery shopping

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Frame of reference mystery shopping

The term mystery shopping or test purchase generally subsumes processes for ascertaining the quality of service , in which trained observers, so-called test buyers or test customers , appear as normal customers and perceive real customer situations. The service activity is evaluated according to a previously defined catalog of criteria. The most objective possible assessment of quality aspects is the central aim of the procedure.

The service employees should not notice that these are test purchases; if they did notice, they would maximize the quality of their service to the test buyer.

In addition to the quality of the service (e.g. purchase advice), general factors such as friendliness and aspects independent of the service such as vigilance in the event of shoplifting, order and cleanliness in the shop and much more can be tested.

Demarcation

The results of a mystery shopping project are usually not published. An industry comparison is therefore not possible.

In contrast, companies that e.g. For example , many companies in an industry publish hotel, restaurant or camping guides and then publish the results in print or online. The neutrality of such tests can de facto not be checked and is controversial: the subjective impression often weighs heavily - with services and also with the quality e.g. B. of food.

Financial services are evaluated and compared, for example, by Stiftung Warentest , which is financially independent as a state foundation and non-profit organization .

The assessment of online retailers is often left in the hands of the customer. A fixed catalog of criteria and an objective assessment are not given. The reader never knows what interests may be behind a review. Companies that manipulate their reviews risk extremely bad reviews.

Goal setting

In the practical and scientific literature there is agreement that weak points and thus potential for improvement in the process of creating services can be found with the help of the test purchase procedure. This instrument is particularly suitable for checking compliance with specifications (e.g. service standards, appearance, placement of products and advertising materials in retail, behavior during checkout processes). The data is collected at the customer interface (e.g. point of sale , call center , correspondence , field service ) and can form the basis for internal and external performance comparisons, be coupled with incentive systems, serve as the basis for training measures, for measuring service - or quality of advice can be used or used as a starting point for quality development.

Insert forms

Use and procedure for mystery shopping are related to the desired objective. Basically, three types of survey can be distinguished: personal survey, written survey and survey by telephone. All forms of mystery shopping have in common the appearance of test persons who collect and document data on the basis of a previously defined observation catalog. The catalog refers to the dimension to be surveyed (e.g. appearance, friendliness, speed of reaction) and its content is based on the characteristics relating to the respective industry, the location of the survey, the survey form and the desired result.

In addition to test purchases, there are other types of service tests that are carried out in the same way as mystery shopping. A mystery call is the execution of test calls. A mystery guest tests the services in hotels or restaurants. Sending test e-mails is also a form of service test. Another form of mystery calls are customer reality checks , in which actual customer contacts are checked against the standards of mystery calls.

There are two different philosophies of service test providers. Some rely on amateur testers, others on professional testers.

Sequence of a mystery shopping project

Mystery shopping project flow

A mystery shopping project usually takes place in different steps. The first step is to define the requirements and goals. For example, if service standards are to be checked and, if necessary, improved, they must first be defined. A large number of tasks must be dealt with in the operational preparation: the observation catalog must be formulated, the type of implementation must be determined (own implementation vs. commissioning an external company, use of professional testers vs. lay testers, obligation of test buyers to neutrality and fairness), the number and the (possible) type of training for the testers is to be determined, the timing is to be planned and the return of the results is to be determined. In the third step, the survey is carried out. Then the data is evaluated and actions are derived. These are implemented and finally the achievement of objectives is checked.

Market volume

The number of companies registered with the Association of German Market and Social Researchers as providers of mystery shopping services increased from three to 112 between 1997 and 2008. While the German market volume for mystery shopping in 2003 was estimated at € 20–30 million, in 2005 it was classified within a range of € 30–50 million. The European association, the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA), assumes an average annual growth of 8% for Germany until 2010. More cautious estimates assume that the German market volume will develop to € 75 million in 2010. Accordingly, the peak of development should then be reached. The sales volume for mystery shopping services in Europe is estimated by the MSPA at € 210 million for 2005 and at around € 600 million for North America.

literature

  • R. Deckers: The test customer process. Inventory, method problems, quality assurance. Dissertation. Cologne 1999.
  • F. Deges: The use of test customers in retail. In: Yearbook of sales and consumption research. Berlin 38.1992, 1, pp. 85-100. ISSN  0021-3985
  • G. Grieger: The quality of results from test customers from different socio-demographic groups in mystery shopping (PDF; 1.9 MB). Dissertation. Flensburg 2008.
  • A. Haas: Analysis of sales situations with mystery shopping. In: Yearbook of sales and consumption research. Berlin 48.2002, 3, pp. 277-294. ISSN  0021-3985
  • K. Matzler, C. Kittinger-Rosanelli: Mystery shopping as an instrument for measuring the perceived service quality of banks. In: Yearbook of sales and consumption research. Berlin 46.2000, 3, pp. 220-241. ISSN  0021-3985
  • T. Platzek: Mystery Shopping - "Undercover Investigators" in the struggle for more customer orientation. In: Economics Studies. Frankfurt M 26.1997, 7, pp. 364-366. ISSN  0340-1650
  • K. Schmidt: Mystery Shopping - Performance of an Instrument for Measuring Service Quality. Dissertation. Marburg 2007.
  • J. Semel: Mystery Shopping. Quality control by anonymous test buyers. Thesis. Tectum, Marburg, 2006. ISBN 3-8288-9165-9
  • V. Unterkircher: Mystery shopping as quality control in the service sector. Dissertation. VDM Verlag Dr. Müller , Saarbrücken 2008. ISBN 3-8364-5880-2
  • N. Egloff, J. Kohlbacher: Customer Reality Check as an alternative to mystery calls . In: "Research & Results", 2007, Vol. 7, pp. 44-45 .

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ online
  2. ↑ z. B. Matzler, K; Kittinger-Rosanelli, C. (2000): Mystery shopping as an instrument for measuring the perceived service quality of banks . Yearbook of sales and consumption research, Vol. 46 (2000), 3, pp. 220–241
  3. ↑ z. B. Platzek, T. (1997): Mystery Shopping - "Covert Investigators" in the Struggle for More Customer Orientation. In: 'Wirtschaftswwissenschaftliches Studium' 26 (7), pp. 364–366
  4. ↑ Gunnar Grieger (2008): The quality of results from test customers from different socio-demographic groups in mystery shopping . Dissertation: Flensburg ( online )
  5. ↑ Grieger, G. (2008). The quality of results from test customers from different socio-demographic groups in mystery shopping. Dissertation: Flensburg
  6. ↑ Customer Reality Check as an Alternative to Mystery Calls, Research & Results, 7-2007
  7. ↑ Hans-Otto Schenk: Psychologie im Handel, 2nd edition, Munich-Vienna 2007, p. 226.
  8. ↑ Grieger, G. (2008). The quality of results from test customers from different socio-demographic groups in mystery shopping. Dissertation: Flensburg
  9. ↑ Deckers, R .; Heinemann, G. (2006). Mystery shopping: sustainably improve sales and service with test buyers. Göttingen: BusinessVillage