Has anyone asked you how someone can make money mystery shopping? You attempt a reply but you admit to yourself you do not even know what it is.
But the name is definitely intriguing.
Mystery shopping.
Is it buying something without knowing what it is? Or is it buying a mystery novel? Whatever it is, it is something worth looking into, especially if you can make money mystery shopping.
"Mystery shopping" is a research tool used by companies selling products or offering services to find out how satisfied their customers are after purchasing their product or availing of their services.
The tool is also used to gain an objective insight into the customer's complete experience when engaging in business with a specific company.
But how is mystery shopping exactly done? And more importantly, how can you make money mystery shopping? Businesses often enlist the help of companies offering mystery shopping services to get feedback on the products or services they are selling.
These mystery shopping companies, in turn, employ people to do the research.
These researchers, or "mystery shoppers" or "mystery consumers" go to stores, establishments, or sometimes even online retail websites to conduct business with them.
The "mystery consumers" then answer a series of questions designed to measure their level of satisfaction on the product or service availed, including their entire experience when engaging in business with the retail or service outlet.
These feedbacks is then returned to the business owner in the form of a report, who will then use the report as a guide in designing their marketing campaigns, or sometimes use the report to gauge the performance of their sales personnel and other employees.
Testimonials from mystery shoppers, especially online mystery shoppers, abound as to how fun, exciting and lucrative the job is.
For shopaholics like myself, getting paid to go shopping is heaven.
Imagine having your cake and eating it too, with someone else paying for the cake, and you getting paid for eating it.
In addition, you are in charge of your own time.
You can work anytime you want, any day you feel like it.
But can this be for real? It is often told that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Stories from some mystery shoppers have recently sprung up, saying that it is not as fun and lucrative as some mystery shopping companies claim it to be.
Sometimes, the shoppers are given assignments they are not really into, for example, doing research in a tattoo parlor for someone who is totally not into it.
In addition, assignments are not that frequent.
And since you get paid only upon completion of a report, you might not get paid for long periods of time, especially if your assignment entails the ordering of products online and waiting for the product to be delivered.
So if you ask me if one can make money mystery shopping, I will say yes, but it is not worth the effort.
If you are looking to make a quick and easy buck, there are other alternatives for you.
An example would be "affiliate marketing" over the internet, where all you need is internet access and a little time initially, and soon you can make money on your spare time without lifting a finger.