How to Be a Mystery Shopper

How to be a mystery shopper and applying to become a mystery shopper
I decided to start this (hopefully) informative website as I realize there is such a need for everyone to earn some extra income around the world and being a Mystery Shopper is an excellent way to do that!

I have owned a reputable research company since 2005 specializing in mystery shopping – both on-site and telephonic. Circumstances meant that when I had my daughter in 2009, I decided to close the company to concentrate on looking after my beautiful girl who is Down syndrome with many health issues.

With this in mind, I am also now in a position where I need to generate an income from home and if I can help others to do the same, I am proud to share my knowledge to best equip you with advice and tips on how to get those assignments!

Getting Started

Before we get started, I am sure you would love to know what earning potential you could expect from mystery shopping assignments. To give you an idea, the average evaluation fee you can expect is anything from $10 for an evaluation at a fast food establishment to $300 for weekend stays in 5 star hotels. Just be aware of companies who ask for a registration fee to register to be a mystery shopper, more often than not, they are scam artists.

This blog will take you through the full Mystery Shopping process from how to apply/register, the dos and don’ts of evaluations and reporting. Please note that the advice on this site is from my years of working with mystery shoppers as an employer. If the person did not apply correctly, I would delete their registration or not answer e-mails. You are only as good as your last evaluation, make each one count and you could not only earn a living from shopping but you will be able to keep most of the items you shop for, eat out on a regular basis and stay in hotels/resorts etc.

How to Be a Mystery Shopper

Applying to Become a Mystery Shopper

I can’t begin to tell you how frustrating it can be to get hundreds of registrations in a working day and most days, if I got one that I would possibly use, it was a good result! Please bear this in mind when you apply to be a mystery shopper. The company will use the information you include in your application/registration to build an impression of who you are and whether you will be capable of report writing.

When applying, the company will ask you to complete a profile. They will use the information you provide to assign certain evaluations specific to your profile. Therefore, it is important that you complete all information correctly and update information on your profile if there are any changes.

Here are a few tips to guide you through an application that might give you an advantage:

Treat your application as you would if applying for a job
It is a good idea to research the company you are applying to so that you can pinpoint details of clientele, industries etc. the company services
Make sure you select all the correct fields i.e. age, area of residence, etc. The company will use this information to filter applicants to fill positions specific to these demographics
Check your spelling/grammar. The company’s main objective is report writing, if you make mistakes in your application, how can they trust you to complete an evaluation for them
Do not type in capitals
Do not send the same e-mail to a number of companies. Take the time to e-mail each company individually
Tell the company why you want to be a mystery shopper. Remember that the company’s main objective is to provide an informative, unbiased evaluation report to their client. This will help you pinpoint areas of importance to make you stand out.
Tell them that you care about customer care and why
Tell them why you think you can make a difference
Keep it short but informative