Surveillance
Matrimonial Investigations
Bug Sweeping
GPS Vehicle Tracking
Lie Detector Test
Person Tracing
Employee Investigations
Asset Tracing
Fraud Investigations
Injury & Insurance InvestigationsMystery Shopping UK
A mystery shopper is an undercover operative who poses as a customer, making test purchasing is to identify retailers selling counterfeit products, operating without a license or simply to test customer service and staff knowledge.
What is Mystery Shopping?
Mystery shopping is often associated with the sale of alcohol to underage customers, as the police frequently use this kind of operation to catch problematic retailers. In fact, there are many other applications of mystery shopping, often started from accounts given by local authorities, private individuals and employers. This method can also be used simply to test customer service or staff knowledge or conduct retail appraisals.
Our mystery shoppers come from all walks of life, meaning we can always deploy someone who can carry out private investigations without drawing attention to themselves. We work from specific accusations regarding a retailer or product under scrutiny. The shopper will visit the store wearing a covert body-worn camera to obtain video footage of the transaction and any dialogue with the retailer. Evidence gathered in previous investigations has helped uncover the production and sale of counterfeit goods, and we have identified countless licensing infringements in a range of industries.
Get in Touch to Discuss Your Needs
What companies can use Mystery Shopping?
All kinds of businesses use mystery shopping companies to get an unbiased analysis of their staffs’ performance, their products/services, and their overall operations. Data gathered from secret shoppers allows owners and managers to spot opportunities to improve their business and incorporate solutions to problems. It gives you a realistic view of your business from a customer’s perspective.
A mystery shopper can also help business owners evaluate employee honesty. They can perform employee investigations and evaluate whether their staff are helpful and honest.
Industries that Hire Mystery Shopping Companies
- Restaurants and Bars
- Grocery, Liquor and Convenience Stores
- Department and Specialty Stores
- Rental Companies
Residential and Commercial Renting, Leasing and Sales - Health Care Providers
- Gift and Flower Shops
- Restaurants and Bars
- Grocery, Liquor and Convenience Stores
- Department and Specialty Stores
- Rental Companies
Residential and Commercial Renting, Leasing and Sales - Health Care Providers
- Gift and Flower Shops
- Banks and Financial Institutions
- Gyms and Fitness Centres
- Hotels
- Car Sales and Automotive Services
- Salons and Beauty Centres
- Banks and Financial Institutions
- Gyms and Fitness Centres
- Hotels
- Car Sales and Automotive Services
- Salons and Beauty Centres
What our customers said
Mystery Shopping Case Studies
Illegal Sale Of Alcohol
Corporate Private Investigation Services
We assist employers, who might otherwise avoid investigating dishonest staff because they lack experience or fear legal action.
Lying about injuries for financial gain creates stigma and undue stress for those who rely on compensation and injury payments.
Becoming a victim of fraud can be stressful and financially devastating so investigating it professionally and effectively is vital.
Process servers provide a trusted method of delivery that ensures documents have been received.
Mystery shoppers collect vital intelligence about the customers experience and can find evidence of unscrupulous retailers.
Enquiry agents can conduct covert and overt enquiries, obtaining additional information to support investigations.
Mystery Shopping FAQ's
Yes, with an increase in e-commerce our team have frequently been asked to make test purchases from online retailers as well as in stores.
This can provide an opportunity to test product quality, packaging quality, courier speed and also online/after sales support.
Mystery shoppers can provide valuable insight into the behaviour of your staff, their product knowledge and seasonal/promotional sales pitch. Using a mystery shopper can also be a method of obtaining evidence of illegal sale of counterfeit or unlicensed products.
Yes, mystery shopping isn’t always conducted to identify criminals and illegal activities, we are frequently employed by businesses and managers who want to gain insight into the behaviour of their customer facing staff.
This could include asking floor staff about particular products in order to identify requirements for product training, making certain purchases and establishing whether the staff are trying to promote season and promotional products, general transactions with problematic members of staff who have had concerns raised previously.
FAQ
Yes, all of our test purchases are conducted in a legal, lawful and ethical manner so any of the information we obtain can be prepared in a format that is sufficient to be used in court should it be required.
The mystery shopper is indistinguishable from any other shopper, they will be hand-picked to ensure that they are suitable for the task at hand and they will have a cover story should they be questioned.
The manner in which they carry out the test-purchase, their behaviour and the language they use will be no different to the average customer.
Mystery shopping tasks are priced on a variety of factors such as the location of the store, the nature of the issue we are investigating and how specific the mystery shopper needs to be.
A task that requires a bilingual shopper of a particular background to build rapport with a shop keeper and purchase counterfeit goods will be entirely different to a task that requires somebody to make a single visit to see if a cashier is polite
Get in Touch
Related Articles
Protecting Your Business: Why You Should Hire A Private Investigator In Birmingham
Theft, fraud or other forms of deception can be devastating for businesses. This is especially the case when the culprit is not identifiable due to
The Role Of A Private Investigator In Corporate Investigations In Wolverhampton
As a business or organisation, there are endless scenarios whereby fraud, theft or other forms of misconduct require proper investigation. Without the resources to identify
What A Private Investigator Can Do For You In Birmingham
In search of private investigators in Birmingham? Sometimes it’s not possible to gather the evidence you need to prove a court case, or even trace
