How Does Mystery Shopping Work?

Getting paid to shop sounds great doesn’t it, but how does it actually work. Read this section to understand how to be a mystery shopper for GfK.

Check Your Email

Check your email regularly. If work is available in your area, you will be notified, but you’d better be quick - the best assessments are snapped up fast.

Choose Your Assessments

Once you’ve been notified that there is work in your area, login to Cybershop and select the assessments that you would like to do. Cybershop is our online system for work selection and entering your results. It’s very easy to use and there’s help at hand via our Helpline if you’re not sure what to do. Select a mystery shopping assessment you’d like to complete, choose a date and time within the time period specified. If possible, group assessments together so you can do them all in one journey, saving you time. Once you’ve done that, you’ve committed to complete the task by a deadline – so don’t let us down. The next step is to learn about your task and prepare for your mystery shop.

Learn Your Lines

Being a mystery shopper is all about coming across as a credible, real customer, even though you may not normally shop in the outlet you are assessing. Read the briefing notes carefully and take the test – once you’ve passed, you’ll be able to download your questionnaire and carry out your shop. The briefing notes will provide you with background information about the mystery shop, any scenario details that you will need to carry out, and highlight particular aspects of your mystery shop that you need to look out for. It may seem like a lot to take in, but once you are out there, you are not doing anything that a ‘normal’ customer wouldn’t do.

Get Out And About

Once you’ve taken the test and read through the questionnaire, get out there and do the mystery shop. Act natural – no-one is watching you, or knows that you are a mystery shopper. Complete the mystery shop according to the briefing notes and on the date and time that you committed to. As soon as you are out of sight of the outlet, complete your paper questionnaire before you forget any details. Our telephone and online Helpline are there to help you if something doesn’t go to plan.

Report Back

Log back in to Cybershop and report your results to us on the same day as your mystery shop. The system is available 24 / 7 so you can enter results at a time to suit you. If you don’t enter results within the specified time we may be unable to pay you and will allocate that mystery shopping assessment to someone else. We often report to clients within 24hrs of your visit, so we are relying on you to enter accurate and detailed observations whilst they are still fresh in your mind.

Get Paid

Once you’ve entered your results, and the system checks are run, you will be paid for your work. All mystery shoppers are paid once a month by electronic transfer of funds.