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Mystery Shopping Industry — How to Get Paid to Shop!

Christmas pass away and I hope you had a great time these days with your family. The end of the 2005 year is close to us now, so perhaps this is my last post here.

I’m simple amazed by the way money are making all over the world, no matter there are made offline or online. And this story is no exception. Today I will capture your attention with the so called “Mystery Shopping Industry“.

But what exactly is the “Mystery Shopping Industry”?

Well, a “mystery shopper” goes undercover at a certain location, study an assigned product/service and then report back to company headquarter on the experience.

Who uses this system? Believe it or not, companies from Fortune 500 firms to small businesses take this more and more seriously.

“In a competitive retail world, companies want to make sure the customer is being taken care of,” said David McAleese, CEO of secret-shopping company A Closer Look. “The details that show someone is cared for keep the customer coming back,” he said.

The Mystery Shopping industry had an estimated value of nearly $600 million in the United States, according to a recent market size report. The 2005 Mystery Shopping Market Size Report was commissioned by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).

With more than 180 member companies worldwide, the MSPA has a diverse membership, including marketing research and merchandising companies, private investigation firms, training organizations and companies that specialize in providing mystery shopping services. Its goals are to establish professional standards and ethics for the industry, educate providers, clients and shoppers to improve quality of service, improve the image of the industry and promote the membership to other industry associations and prospect clients.

“Almost everyone involved in the mystery shopping industry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years,” said John Swinburn, MSPA Executive Director. “As the flagship trade organization for the mystery shopping industry, the MSPA decided to quantify that growth. The results outline exactly what we expected — a large and growing industry with exciting prospects for the future.”

The Report revealed mystery shopping revenue by industry: Retail industry was strongest (16.8 percent of total mystery shopping revenue), followed by Banking/Financial (14.2 percent), Fast Food (14 percent) and Gas Station/Convenience Store (11.8 percent).

Mystery shopping is conducted in almost every industry, ranging from quick-service and high-end restaurants, hotels and resorts, banks and financial service providers, apartments, convenience stores, chain and specialty retailers, home builders, self-storage facilities, healthcare organizations and grocery stores.

Would you like to become a mystery shopper? Follow these steps:

- Visit first www.mysteryshop.org for a list of companies that are MSPA members.

- Contact mystery-shopping companies (web addresses are included into the site).

- Sign up for a few companies (getting picked is no sure thing).

- Wait until you get your first assignment.

Would you like to test the “feeling” of your customers for a new product/service? Perhaps using the “Mystery Shopping Industry” is the right answer!

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