Shop Logs Newsletter


The Shop Logs Blog @
http://www.shoplogs.com/wordpress

December, 2005
Volume 1, Issue 10

Does Online Shopping
Threaten Mystery Shopping?

 

Nominated for National Center for Professional Mystery Shoppers & Merchandisers 2005 Newsletter of the Year.

 

Special Interest Articles:

Does Online Shopping Threaten Mystery Shopping? -
With the rise of Internet purchases, will Mystery Shoppers still be needed?

Hits from the Blog -
Cathy Stucker accelerates her Blogging

How Far into December will you Shop? -
What is your cut off date or type of shop in this Holiday Season?

We Shopped 'em
Blog entries from those that have been shopped

Internet Shopping Increases, will Traditional Mystery Shopping Decrease?

Black Friday is the name for the shopping day after Thanksgiving in the retail industry, but Cyber Monday is a rising star.  Cyber Monday is the first day back to work after Thanksgiving, and a big shopping day, as people return to their high speed Internet connections at work to shop online.  Cyber Monday, also known as Black Monday, first appeared in the press in 2002.  Similarly it is the first day many online Etailers break "into the black" financially.

Friday eBay was the top online retailer, with 9.5 million unique visitors, followed by Amazon, at 4.6 million and walmart.com attracted 3.4 million. Following closely were Target.com. at 2.9 million visitors, and BestBuy.com, at 2.1 million Nielsen NetRatings stated.

Monday Internet traffic,  tracked by  visitors per minute, was up 35 percent from normal Monday traffic, the sites tracked were drawing nearly 1.63 million visitors per minute according to ComScore Networks, a market research company based in Reston, Va.  Last year, consumers spent more than $380 million on the Monday after Thanksgiving, a 29 percent increase over the same day in 2003, according to ComScore.

While the Internet used to be the place to find obscure, no overhead outlets, now more brick and mortar companies are establishing a duel presence on the Internet as well as in your strip malls.  Many MSers assume this will open up shopping opportunities for current MSers to branch out into online shopping, as those big companies have the deep pockets to support a MS program. (Online shopping article)

There are already MSPs that shop virtual establishments.  Web Mystery Shoppers, pictured above is one of the MSPs for this service. 

Does this trend threaten Mystery Shopping jobs?   There are two schools of thought on this issue.  The first position is that such MSPs are less likely to provide a profitable reimbursement, and more likely to provide a fee to the shopper, this may hurt the bottom line of MSers at tax time.  The prospect of more taxable income and less reimbursements/perks does little to reward professional mystery shoppers.  Some virtual shops do not require the shopper go through the purchase component; purchase is not always the crucial operation or even focus of some web sites.  MSPs often do not even need to hire professionals, wanting instead the average-Joe-off-the-street to evaluate the intuitive nature of the site layout. 

On the other hand, one needs to consider the flexibility and cost effectiveness of MSing from your computer, mileage and time become less costly to the IC.  The companies that have the proceeds to shop themselves online are also the same places currently visited by MSers.  As brick and mortar companies now monitor their virtual presence it is logically to assume they will continue to take the pulse of the store too.

Facts! 

83% of Internet users will shop online in 2005 holiday season

79% of online retailers will offer free (with a catch) shipping this holiday season

"In many cases...online stores offer better customer service than their brick-and-mortar counterparts, even if there is no direct human interaction"  Elaine X. Grant of Customer Relationship Management Buyer.  Mystery shoppers of websites may need to have a different skill set than the traditional brick and mortar shoppers.

Grant continues to point out, "The ability to read a list of FAQs [frequently asked questions], search a knowledge base or chat with a Web assistant is much better than the typical [service] you receive [from] underpaid, overworked and completely disinterested employees in most retail stores."  This does not sound like the traditional mystery shopper will meet the needs of an ever growing online salesforce.

Shop.org, an online retail trade group in San Jose, California, states E-commerce will grow by 85% this year, posting at over $61 billion.  What did people buy on Cyber Monday? Jewelry, electronics, gourmet food, furniture and home décor were the top draws for 2004.  What will future Cyber Mondays do to your future as a mystery shopper? 

 

Resources: CNN, Shop.org, Nielsen NetRatings, ComScore Networks, Cathy Stucker, MSNBC, ZDNet Research, Consumer Reports, and CRM Buyers.


 

 How Far into December Will You Shop?

We Shopped ‘em!




 

When is the absolute, last day you shop this month?

                  Blog entries from the shopped…




In the Next Issue: If you were at a retail store November 25th, no one has to tell you how hectic it is the last month before the Big Holiday.  However, if you mystery shop for a living, this season can be even worse than for the average shopper.  Mystery shoppers contend with extra holiday shoppers, seasonal staff and the long walks through full parking lots - all to do their job.

Tips to remember:

  • Set a Date to Stop for the Holidays - Pick a date that you absolutely will not shop beyond and stick to it
  • Be Selective in Types of Shops - Decide if you will go to the Mall for any MSing and accept or decline on that basis
  • Avoid Purchase and Return Shops - the lines are longer this tie of year and the pay usually is not any better
  • Consolidate or Stay Home - Between gasoline prices, traffic and possible weather conditions, make it worth your while or learn to say no to schedulers and self-assign boards

Setting your Mystery Shopping boundaries early this season will keep you in a happy holiday mood.  This is a great time of year to enjoy family and friends; you just can't enjoy them speeding down a slippery highway trying to make it to the next bagel shop before it closes with a mental list a mile long in your head.

Happy Holidays from The Shop Logs!

Where are You Shopping?

Onilne Brick & Mortar
Selection Potentially Limitless Limited, "out of stock"
Money SmalOverhead = Lower Prices  
  Credit Card/PayPal Cash, Check or Credit Card
  Possibly  no sales tax, often free shipping sales tax
Returning Items pay to ship, sometimes not easy to return if at all easier to return
     

February 2, 2004
Why should an associate work hard to sell service plans when in the end he or she does not reap the harvest of their labor due to the mistake of a single associate? Since we are committed to a bonus program as apposed to a commission based initiative that would bare more fruit for our associates, while stabilizing company sales statistics, our company should punish only those who fail the
mystery shop. This would stimulate our associates to work harder, since no associate would wish to be the one who does not earn they’re share of the bonus.” FULL TEXT

September 19, 2005
We also get a "bonus", if the store hits margin. As well as if we get near 100% on our mystery shop. But, when you have people getting paid near minimum wage, with no raises except for ONCE a year, and only getting a certain percentage of your current pay (which comes out to a hefty 20 - 25 cents, on average), where's the motivation to get 100% on mystery shops? FULL TEXT

October 25, 2005
I feel kind of bad....because....well, our store gets mystery shopped. this means that someone comes into the store and checks the cleanliness and the workers and what not....it sucks. but like, we have to get a 90% or better to pass, and there was one where like, we got a 70% because my MANAGER was on the phone while running the register....BIG no-no. so uh.....well, we all can't STAND HER....stupid boss. she's hung up on 2 people (that I know of) when they called in. she doesn't listen to her workers because 2 people said that they COULD NOT work third shift, and yet.....they did.....and so, back to this mystery shop thing. if we don't get 100% on our mystery shop, well, .... she gets fired....and I'm kind of hoping that we don't. is that bad? that I hope that she gets fired. like, ya know, she's a nice woman, but as a manager.....no. FULL TEXT

 

 


 
Hits From the Blogs
We Shopped 'Em!
 
 
Past Issues:
November 2005
October 2005
August/Sept. 2005
July2005 Hits from the Blog
Cathy Stucker accelerates her blogging at www.MysteryShoppingManual.com
June 2005
May 2005

     Cathy has accelerated her postings the last week of November.  She appears to be settling into a pattern and expanding her scope.

     Visit her blog for more information from the MSPA Gold Workshop Instructor as he news and notes accumulate.


March/April 2005


February 2005

January 2005