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¶ Mystery Shopping
¶ What it is
Mystery shopping is an activity where the researcher acts like a customer of a product or service to go through the same experience a customer would and take note of all the good and bad moments and the flow of the experience. Mystery shopping can be used on your products and services or those of competitors (either direct competitors or competitors for the same Job-To-Be-Done). It helps to understand what customers go through today and what could be changed.
¶ Why it is useful
Mystery shopping puts you in the position to receive first-hand experiences from a customer's perspective, which can heighten your level of empathy for customers when they share experiences with you or when you create a new product or service for them. In addition, it gives you a qualitative experience to reference.
¶ When to use it
This method is beneficial if you want to create a product or service in an existing category where people already have comparable experiences and can inform your study. However, it is not very useful when looking to create a new type of offering or bring a category to customers who still need to start using something similar.
¶ How is it done
- Identify the Job(s)-To-Be-Done you are targeting and what different products and services customers hire today to satisfy that job.
- Create a list of products and services your company or competitors are already offering today, targeted at that Job-To-Be-Done and that target audience.
- Slip in the role of a customer - research, compare, buy and use all relevant products and services you have to listen. Then, carefully take screenshots, notes, pictures, etc., of every step of the experience, and note down your feelings as you go through the journey.
- Compile a journey map for every product or service you used, including all the appropriate steps, actions, touchpoints, pains, gains, and artefacts.
- Compare and evaluate the results. Then, rank the different offerings based on several factors (such as speed, satisfaction, value, etc.) to get clear insight and ranking on your experiences.
¶ Do's & Don't
Do's
- Be broad in how you define competition for the same Job-To-Be-Done so that you get a good idea of all the different things that customers hire today for that job and what they feel like.
- Try to think you are the customer and get into the mindset of someone using the service. Also, evaluate the resonance of value proposition, pricing, messaging, etc., of products and services.
- Spend the money to buy and utilise the full versions of everything you try to get the whole experience.
- Take potentially unusual paths through service to experience where it breaks or what edge cases exist and how they are handled.
Don't
- Don’t tell the sales or service you are doing this as a research exercise.
- Don’t announce your store visit, and do not identify yourself as working for the company or a competitor. Always act like a genuine customer.
¶ Tools needed
- Paper and pen to note down your observations
- Camera or phone to track your experience
- If needed: device to use service (e.g., laptop or tablet)