{"id":4326,"date":"2017-03-18T21:14:00","date_gmt":"2017-03-19T01:14:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/digital.hbs.edu\/platform-digit\/submission\/mshop-what-if-we-crowdsourced-mystery-shopping\/"},"modified":"2017-03-18T21:14:00","modified_gmt":"2017-03-19T01:14:00","slug":"mshop-what-if-we-crowdsourced-mystery-shopping","status":"publish","type":"hck-submission","link":"https:\/\/d3.harvard.edu\/platform-digit\/submission\/mshop-what-if-we-crowdsourced-mystery-shopping\/","title":{"rendered":"MShop: what if we crowdsourced mystery shopping?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mystery shopping today<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Mystery shopping hasn\u2019t changed much since it first started in the 1940s.[1]<\/a> Businesses contract market research companies to provide feedback on their store experience. These market research companies then hire contractors to go into their clients\u2019 stores, pretend to be customers, and fill out a questionnaire on their experience. Mystery shoppers are compensated around $5-25 per shop, and occasionally also get to keep the item they bought.[2]<\/a>[3]<\/a>\u00a0\"\"<\/p>\n

The main problem with this model is that mystery shoppers aren\u2019t actual customers<\/strong>. Mystery shoppers are not necessarily\u00a0familiar with many of the stores\/products they\u2019re asked to mystery shop and their opinions may not represent those of a true customer.<\/p>\n

Partially as a result of this, mystery shopping questions don\u2019t see the wood for the trees. <\/strong>Mystery shoppers are often asked questions such as \u201cWhat was the number of registered staffers\u201d and \u201cWas there at least one express lane open\u201d[4]<\/a> when what the business really wants to know is whether customers find the check-out process to be fast and efficient.<\/p>\n

Furthermore, mystery shopping today is tough to scale <\/strong>due to cost and the need to keep the whole process a \u2018secret\u2019 from employees.<\/p>\n

The solution is Mshop<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Mshop would be a crowdsourced solution to mystery shopping. Here\u2019s how it would work:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Anyone with a smartphone can download the Mshop app to sign-up to be a mystery shopper.\u00a0(Sidebar: I once tried to become a mystery shopper in the current model and the sign-up process was too tedious for me to complete)\"\"<\/li>\n
  2. Using the power of location tracking, Mshop identifies businesses that the user actually frequents<\/li>\n
  3. When the user is physically at one of these businesses, they will randomly receive an alert on their phone asking whether they would like to conduct a mystery shop<\/li>\n
  4. If the user goes ahead with the mystery shop, they\u2019ll be prompted with 5-10 questions to answer on their phone as they browse the store. (The user does not have to make a purchase to provide useful feedback)<\/li>\n
  5. After the responses have been submitted, the user will receive compensation in the form of free merchandise or store credit to be redeemed on a future visit<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Why it creates value<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Mshop allows businesses to target actual customers and gather real feedback through their eyes. Because the responses come from customers, it’s possible to solicit more general\/business relevant feedback than in today’s model (e.g., how would you rate the level of service, did we have the product you were looking for).<\/p>\n

    Customers can respond to questions instantaneously rather than having to remember all their answers\u00a0and submit them through a survey portal after they’ve left. This generates greater accuracy and relevancy in responses.<\/p>\n

    The cost of Mshop will be lower than traditional mystery shopping because all users will be compensated by store credit\/merchandise rather than cash (and because users are customers, store credit is something they\u2019ll actually value). This cost-efficiency combined with the ability to solicit more responses will allow businesses to generate larger sample sizes.<\/p>\n

    Over and above receiving feedback, Mshop also works as a great mechanism for understanding customer shopping patterns (how often do customers visit, how long is each visit, what paths do they walk in-store). Furthermore, it could function as an advertising mechanism, for example, a user that often frequents restaurant A could be sent a prompt asking if they\u2019d like to mystery shop restaurant B nearby.<\/p>\n

    MShop will capture value through charging businesses on a two-pronged system:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Businesses pay a fee to be on the platform and receive access to data on customer behavior<\/li>\n
    2. Businesses pay a variable fee per service performed (e.g., per shop, per advertisement)<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      Why users will love it<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

      The main incentive for users is the fact that they are\u00a0getting compensated for minimal additional effort. The lure of\u00a0free items can sometimes be more attractive than the lure of money (I\u2019ve seen many an HBS student give up an hour of their time for $6 worth of free lunch).\"\"<\/p>\n

      Beyond the compensation, most customers enjoy feeling like they matter and that their opinions are valued. The problem today is that doing so takes the form of annoying, bland and time-consuming surveys.<\/p>\n

      Well, no more! With Mshop customers can have their voices heard, and businesses can solicit extensive and useful feedback from real customers. So, what are you waiting for? Sign up to Mshop today!<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

      [1]<\/a> http:\/\/www.jobmonkey.com\/mysteryshopping\/what-is-mystery-shopping\/<\/p>\n

      [2]<\/a> https:\/\/www.learnvest.com\/2013\/02\/confessions-of-a-mystery-shopper-how-i-made-14k\/<\/p>\n

      [3]<\/a> https:\/\/www.thepennyhoarder.com\/jobs-making-money\/side-gigs\/best-mystery-shopping-companies-to-work\/<\/p>\n

      [4]<\/a> https:\/\/stellaservice.com\/35-sample-mystery-shopping-survey-questions-for-retail-brands\/<\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n

       <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

      Mystery shopping is intended to give businesses insights on how customers perceive their stores. However, the current model doesn't use actual customers to conduct the mystery shopping. 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