True Facts About Mystery Shopping
The vast majority of customers won’t speak up and complain, even if they are not happy with the service they receive from a company. Statistics reveal that more than 90 percent of customers say they don’t take the time to bring up the issue to a staff member or manager. Instead, they leave, vowing never to return. Not only has the business lost that customer, but they may lose out on the opportunity to deal with everyone the dissatisfied customer talks to about their experience. Word of mouth is a very powerful advertising tool, and it should never be discounted.
Another issue that businesses have is that most of the people who walk through their doors leave without making a purchase. Can any business choose to ignore the fact that more than 80 percent of the people they see are “just browsing”? No, they can’t.
To get information about what it’s like to be a customer at a particular business, mystery shoppers are invaluable. Much more than simply “getting paid to shop,” mystery shopping is big business. This industry is worth $600 million in the United States alone, and worldwide this number jumps to a very impressive $1.5 billion.
As more businesses come to appreciate the value of the information that mystery shoppers can provide, they will start to use these services more and more. This is great news for anyone interested in working in this capacity, since more demand will create more jobs.
Even in uncertain economic times, customers still have money to spend. They are becoming more selective about the kinds of businesses they choose to deal with, though. A business that is interested in doing more than simply surviving would do well to consider adding mystery shopping services to its budget. A shop doesn’t have to be expensive: for less than $50 a month, the business owners and managers can gain valuable insight into how well their customers are being treated and have a much better opportunity to turn the browsers into buyers. That can only help their bottom line.