Qualitative methods

Mystery Shopping

Application of this method can be useful for examining the operation and characteristics of customer service offices, shops or depots (speed of service, competence, waiting time, quality, cleanliness, etc.).

Mystery Shopping is applicable for studying the actual process of the serving, but also the quality of the information service or the persuading abilities of those being in touch with customers.

During Mystery Shopping the in details trained interviewers - as ‘clients’ or ‘customers’ – collect information or observe the happenings in a shopping or service using situation and after it they complete a questionnaire (outside the premises).

During Mystery Shopping actual shopping does not necessarily take place, the interviewers can be entitled to ask for information or book things in advance.

A big advantage of this method over any other type of data collection is that the ‘observed’ persons are not aware of the research so the results are not subject to distortions.