Mystery Shopping or Mystery Audit is the process of reviewing a product or a place, such as a bank, commercial store, retail mall, hotel, restaurant, etc., by posing as a consumer or a customer. Their primary task is to review the product or place under research through the shoes of a customer, rate the object under study against different parameters, and measure the overall experience as a consumer or a customer.
Mystery Shopping or Mystery Audit is an important pillar of Market Research & Analytics. Mystery Shoppers are hired by companies to conduct periodic audits. They are well trained and certified to perform the mystery shopping or mystery audit. Mystery Shoppers primarily work for Mystery Shopping companies, which are retained by big FMCGs, Banks, and Corporates to review the customer experience of their end customers.