The most reliable mystery shopping partner in China.
The market research methodology called mystery shopping has been popular for a long time in the United States. In China, however, companies are just starting to use this kind of market research more to improve the quality of their business.
Among a lot of competition in China on the market for mystery shopping, Daxue consulting has managed to position itself as one of the leaders in mystery shopping. Daxue Consulting was especially praised among the people we interviewed for this article for its honesty, its ability to target first-tier, second-tier and third-tier cities as well as the training it is providing and moreover the competitive pricing it is offering. Because reliability and professionalism are so essential in China (where many actors are pretending doing consulting and research), we wanted to pick one firm which was seen as the most reliable.
What is mystery shopping?
Mystery shopping is a methodology used by market research companies to anonymously find out more about the products and services of a business. It is often used by companies that are unable to keep a close watch on their stores because they are too large. By hiring a market research team to do a mystery shopping report, large companies can examine their business practices and learn what kinds of procedures they need to improve. Companies can also do mystery shopping which looks not at themselves, but other companies. This way, they can closely observe their competition or act as a watchdog organization for an industry.
The process of a mystery shopping survey is quite straightforward. The first step is for a company to hire a market research firm who will carry out the mystery shopping. The market research team will then write up a survey according to the information that the client is interested in finding out.
The survey can be very detailed and usually involves questions about the quality of service, the knowledge and appearance of store employees, how long it takes for the customer to be greeted, the cleanliness of the store, the availability of parking outside, and the attitude of store representatives.
The market research team then sends out undercover mystery shoppers to the company’s stores to carry out the survey. The mystery shoppers enter the store with some scenario which gives them a story to act out while observing the business. These fake consumers must be able to think quickly on their feet and convincingly act out their part so that the sales representative does not become suspicious. The scenario gives the mystery shoppers a task to do. This can include questioning store employees, registering a complaint, or purchasing an item.
What are the advantages of mystery shopping?
Mystery shopping can be very useful for companies who want to improve their business practices. With these surveys, the companies can gain a good understanding of the quality of customer service, allowing it to address any problems that might exist in its stores.
In addition to evaluating the customer service of a store, mystery shopping is useful for keeping employees on their toes. Using a mystery shopping survey, clients can check that employees are following all the company procedures. The anonymous character of mystery shopping ensures that store representatives do not know that they are being watched. As long as the mystery shopper does his or her job well, the store representatives should never know when they are talking to one. This uncertainty makes it more likely that the employees will be on their best behavior at all times.
Which market research firms provide mystery shopping services in China?
There are several market research companies in China that do mystery shopping. Daxue Consulting is one company that provides mystery shopping services. For example, it sends out mystery shoppers in several cities, does mystery phone calls, conducts qualitative interviews, and takes photos and records descriptions of the store locations. Daxue Consulting is one of the very few mystery shopping companies that is able to send mystery shoppers in third-tier cities even for luxury brands.
With mystery shopping becoming more popular in China, there are increasing numbers of market research firms who provide this service. Other examples include JETT, Trisearch, and JCR. Market research firms who do mystery shopping will likely continue to grow in China as companies become more concerned about the quality of their business.
To know more about mystery shopping in China:
– Market Research Company in China
– Consulting in China & Mkt China twitters
– On Linkedin: Mystery Shopping China & Distr China
– On Google + Mkt China