AHMEDABAD: Eyeing the blue rugged jeans and checking the fit of the newly-arrived branded tees, he could be any affluent shopper on CG Road. But on weekends, this 21-year-old casually dressed mystery shopper’ is a man on a mission to observe and analyze every aspect of the provided service at a posh showroom selling famous brands.
Kalp, 22, (who prefers not to reveal his last name) is one of hundreds of consumers who have turned his passion for shopping into a part-time job. Many youths see this as a great source of making an extra buck.
So, eat, shop and dine without spending a penny from your pocket. “The company hires you to enter any assigned outlet as an ordinary customer, and report to them about the findings and provided services in a detailed manner. This is through an exhaustive questionnaire about the experience, “ says Kalp.
He has earned more than Rs 12,000 in last six months as a mystery shopper’ at branded apparel stores, food joints, automobile and mobile shops.
Marketing research companies having retail stores, automobile companies, food chains, apparel stores as clients are hiring these mystery shoppers to get a honest feedback on their services.
And now these shoppers are the eyes and ears of corporate house to keep a check on their services. Professor of marketing and chairperson, centre of retailing, at Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad (IIM-A), says, “Mystery shopping is a marketing research technique where customers visit shops and evaluate their services without letting them know about it.”
Another mystery shopper, Aventa says, “Initially, I got hooked on it for fun but now I am making a quick buck. Most importantly, it is also a learning experience as it teaches business research methodology to management students like me.”
Aventa is doing mystery shopping for the last nine months and most people like him are getting to know about this through word-of-mouth publicity. Mystery shoppers have to mentally jot down waiting time, behaviour and knowledge of sales associates about the merchandise, among others.
But, these mystery shoppers are also not sent to the same place for a limited time period.
Source: TimesofIndia
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