Beware of mysterious buyers
In Switzerland, 1,500 mystery shoppers are conducting market research for Shopcontrol
In Switzerland, 1500 mystery shoppers are on the road for Shopcontrol's market researchBy Andreas Panzeri Since July, the German market research company Shopcontrol has also had an office in Zug. Over 1500 mystery shoppers are already on the move throughout Switzerland. As anonymous average customers, they analyze quality and service in service companies ranging from department stores and petrol stations to hotels and call centers.
The use of mystery shoppers has been part of everyday life for service providers in the USA for years. Shopcontrol has also been offering a similar service in Germany since 1998 and has quickly developed into a leading company in this field with over 18,000 mystery shoppers. The company has now also expanded into Switzerland. Shopcontrol already coordinates 1500 mystery shoppers from Zug. The plan is to expand this base to around 5000 mystery shoppers over the next twelve months.
They record their subjective impressions from shopping trips through department stores, petrol stations, restaurants and hotels or their tests with online stores and call centers in detail in an Internet questionnaire. The results of Shopcontrol's evaluation provide client companies and their tested employees with valuable information from the customer's perspective.
Shopcontrol was born out of the realization that competition for customers is becoming increasingly fierce. "It is no longer possible to stand out from the competition solely on the basis of product or price," says Shopcontrol, explaining the concept. The purchase decision is therefore mainly influenced positively or, in the worst case, negatively by quality and service aspects. This is where mystery shopping comes in with the use of 18- to 80-year-old amateur test shoppers.
First major customers are already shopping anonymously
These shopping spies assess the presentation of goods, advice, website and services incognito. As "real customers", they can discover the problematic areas for the analyzed company at the front line. Internal processes are to be optimized thanks to the data collected by Shopcontrol. The staff tested can be better trained in weak areas based on the observations. "The idea of control or even the classification of staff into good and bad employees must not and should not be in the foreground," explains René A. Feldbauer, Managing Director at Shopcontrol.
The method developed by the market research company is based on state-of-the-art logistics. All test shoppers have private Internet access. The entire process, from delivering the questionnaire and answering it to the final evaluation, is carried out exclusively via this medium. "This means that assignments can be carried out at very short notice and without any problems," promises Feldbauer.
Mystery shoppers who are sent out on tour are selected according to zip code and profession. From students to housewives to doctors, all professions are represented in the database. Of course, the "agent boss" of the mystery shoppers doesn't want to say much about his customers. However, large companies in the retail and telecommunications sectors are already included.
The use of mystery shoppers has been part of everyday life for service providers in the USA for years. Shopcontrol has also been offering a similar service in Germany since 1998 and has quickly developed into a leading company in this field with over 18,000 mystery shoppers. The company has now also expanded into Switzerland. Shopcontrol already coordinates 1500 mystery shoppers from Zug. The plan is to expand this base to around 5000 mystery shoppers over the next twelve months.
They record their subjective impressions from shopping trips through department stores, petrol stations, restaurants and hotels or their tests with online stores and call centers in detail in an Internet questionnaire. The results of Shopcontrol's evaluation provide client companies and their tested employees with valuable information from the customer's perspective.
Shopcontrol was born out of the realization that competition for customers is becoming increasingly fierce. "It is no longer possible to stand out from the competition solely on the basis of product or price," says Shopcontrol, explaining the concept. The purchase decision is therefore mainly influenced positively or, in the worst case, negatively by quality and service aspects. This is where mystery shopping comes in with the use of 18- to 80-year-old amateur test shoppers.
First major customers are already shopping anonymously
These shopping spies assess the presentation of goods, advice, website and services incognito. As "real customers", they can discover the problematic areas for the analyzed company at the front line. Internal processes are to be optimized thanks to the data collected by Shopcontrol. The staff tested can be better trained in weak areas based on the observations. "The idea of control or even the classification of staff into good and bad employees must not and should not be in the foreground," explains René A. Feldbauer, Managing Director at Shopcontrol.
The method developed by the market research company is based on state-of-the-art logistics. All test shoppers have private Internet access. The entire process, from delivering the questionnaire and answering it to the final evaluation, is carried out exclusively via this medium. "This means that assignments can be carried out at very short notice and without any problems," promises Feldbauer.
Mystery shoppers who are sent out on tour are selected according to zip code and profession. From students to housewives to doctors, all professions are represented in the database. Of course, the "agent boss" of the mystery shoppers doesn't want to say much about his customers. However, large companies in the retail and telecommunications sectors are already included.
