The Mystery Shopper industry was created out of the desire for key principles in a business to understand what the consumer thinks about their products, services or business in general. They discovered that the best way to do this was to have individuals posing as customers go essentially undercover into the business, and then report back to the owner/manager their observations.
This information then provides the owner a basis to build a strategy, and a starting point of where to grow or correct their business. The popularity of this business practice has created a significant demand in the industry for what is called mystery shoppers.
Subsequently, an entire industry on the internet has sprung up with companies acting as agents for the 200 plus mystery shopping companies across North America. These directories / match making services provide the user a list of agencies they can contact to register their name as a mystery shopper in their area. When a contract / job becomes available, the company then has a contact in the area for the assignment.
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How To Earn Money as a Mystery Shopper
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A+++
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30.95
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Top Three Sites We Reviewed
Market Factor is the most professional and indepth survey companies we reviewed. Their website is professional, and their membership is one of the best values in this category. Because they are a market research company themselves, their knowledge of the industry is second to none. Includes access to partner base of mystery shopping employers.
Overall Rating A+++ Listings 400 Price 31.95
Market Factor is the most professional and indepth survey companies we reviewed. Their website is professional, and their membership is one of the best values in this category. Because they are a market research company themselves, their knowledge of the industry is second to none. Includes access to partner base of mystery shopping employers.
Overall Rating A++ Listings 400 Price 34.95
Market Factor is the most professional and indepth survey companies we reviewed. Their website is professional, and their membership is one of the best values in this category. Because they are a market research company themselves, their knowledge of the industry is second to none. Includes access to partner base of mystery shopping employers.
Overall Rating A+ Listings 350 Price 26.95
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We conducted our study of the mystery shopper industry by purchasing a directory or membership from each available website offering this service. Each directory was then analyzed for several factors including the amount of listings contained, the accuracy of these listings, how up to date they were and finally the uniqueness of the product / directory being offered.
At this point we then began registering with as many mystery shopper companies as possible. Our goal was to enter into this research exactly the same way any individual would if they were to have joined one of the many match making mystery shopping services and was now attempting to earn money as a mystery shopper.
Although it took some time ( approximately 20 hours ) we has registered with more than 70 agencies. We were pleasantly surprised to then almost immediately start receiving job notifications via email within 72 hours. The lowest job offered was $12.00 at a local video store and the highest assignment offered was at a restaurant that paid $25 and the price of the meal for two.
It is possible to earn an solid full time income from mystery shopping. Consumer Review takes a closer look at the profit potential of the industry and how best to get started earning money as a mystery shopper.
The first step to getting started in the mystery shopper industry is to join a club or organization that provides a contact directory of the mystery shopping companies currently operating in North America. You then would contact each of these companies directly and register your name and willingness to accept assignments from them. You'll find that once you register with enough companies, you'll have as much work as you can want at any give time.
Typically, each assignment pays on what is considered a " per job " basis. This means that you will receive a flat fee for completing the assignment and will range anywhere from $10 to $100 and more. Typically, each assignment will take you less than 15 minutes or so, but travel time must be included in your planning and is usually not paid by the company unless otherwise noted. The one exception to this is the companies that provide mystery shopping jobs in the travel industry, where all costs are usually covered at the end of the trip.
The Mystery Shopper industry was created out of the desire for key principles in a business to understand what the consumer thinks about their products, services or business in general. They discovered that the best way to do this was to have individuals posing as customers go essentially undercover into the business, and then report back to the owner/manager their observations.
This information then provides the owner a basis to build a strategy, and a starting point of where to grow or correct their business. The popularity of this business practice has created a significant demand in the industry for what is called mystery shoppers.
Subsequently, an entire industry on the internet has sprung up with companies acting as agents for the 200 plus mystery shopping companies across North America. These directories / match making services provide the user a list of agencies they can contact to register their name as a mystery shopper in their area. When a contract / job becomes available, the company then has a contact in the area for the assignment.
We have concluded that the probable earning potential for an active aggressive mystery shopper is likely about $1500 per month with a part time commitment. Unless you live in a very busy center, there likely will not be enough work to use up all of your full time availability to increase your earnings.
The added attraction of the mystery shopping business is that it offers substantial perks such as free meals, movie tickets and rentals and in some cases, free travel on cruise lines or free hotel stays at resorts all over the world. Keep in mind thought that these expensive types of perks are in high demand and the likelihood of you getting a free trip is not as good as many marketers would like you to believe. But it is a frequent happening that you will get to keep your purchase from your assignment.
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