Mystery shopping is a form of research work whereby an individual poses as a customer to objectively gather information on the business being studied. The information gathered usually involves, but is not limited to, employee performance, product quality, and overall perception of the shopping experience.
The information obtained from mystery shopping is used to measure service quality, and is normally just one part of a company wide program to enhance employee performance. Employees are told what is expected of them and that mystery shoppers will be used to evaluate their performance. The idea is to learn from the consumer's point of view which areas of service quality need improvement so the company can make those changes as soon as possible. Mystery shopping is designed to reward good performance and identify areas for improvement.