Mystery shopping is moving into the future with an exciting opportunity for people to sign up with their iPhones and get mystery shopping jobs pushed at them wherever they are. This makes the entire secret shopping process much easier, as people can take assignments on the spot as they are shopping. The app, called Field Agent, launched this week in Canada, with the aim of speeding up quick market research, whilst paying mystery shoppers between $3 and $8 per task. It has already been introduced into the UK and Australia with amazing results. In Canada, over 3600 people have already signed up.

“It’s mystery shopper 2.0,” says the general manger for Canada, Jeff Doucette. “It’s much more cost effective for the client. And they get information really fast.”

The agents sign up for free via their iPhone and are then sent jobs according to their location which can be specified to an area code, or GPS vicinity. Aside from being an ideal marketing tool, this app has also been created to conduct corporate intelligence. For example, a job might be collecting the price of a certain product at a number of stores in the same mall. Otherwise mystery shoppers must check displays and comment on service from stores and eateries.

“If you’re a restaurant chain, franchises want consistency,” said Doucette. “We can do an audit of Subway, make sure the right signage is in the window. Field agents can do that quickly. A 200-store audit would maybe take a day and a half to get done.”

This app is being accepted with much enthusiasm in the market research and mystery shopping industry. Wendy Morelli was one of those eager shoppers who signed up right away. “We all have to shop. If you’re already there . . . who doesn’t want to get paid? It’s easy, and if I make a couple of dollars to pay for my milk or a loaf of bread, why not.”

The assistant marketing professor, Debi Andrus, at the University of Calgary’s Haskayne School of Business, said, “This will be useful long-term if the quality is there, and if the people don’t get tired it.” In particular, Andrus noted its effectiveness for on the spot marketing where instant feedback is required, for example, where a promotional product is not doing well and needs to be moved.

Doucette agreed, “As a client, within a couple of hours you start to see results. If you know something’s not right, you can get it fixed today.” The payments are made securely through PayPal about an hour after the assignment has been submitted.

To find out more about mystery shopping, join Mystery Shopper Job Finder today!

Mystery shopping has become one of the ideal forms of employment for those who have been laid off during the past few years and because of the high unemployment rates, scammers are taking advantage of this fact to lure mystery shoppers into a false job which ends up costing them. Secret shopping scams are not new and in fact there are plenty of case studies to work from, the majority of which include the scammer requesting the mystery shopper to cash a check (which is forged) and then wiring the money to an account (the scammers) by way of online payment system (Western Union most commonly).

Recently the Better Business Bureau has noted an increase in mystery shopping and work from home scams. Some of these involve the mystery shopper paying an admin fee in exchange for getting the job. The BBB warns that people should not be fooled by these scams. No legitimate company will ever ask you for a fee or any upfront money to work for them, or even to do a background check or credit check.

Most people are spending time online nowadays looking for job opportunities and this is where most scam artists are focusing their attention. They send unsolicited emails to you with supposedly unbelievable offers, and they also create website that you can upload your resume to, which will unbeknownst to you take all your personal information like your social security number.

The BBB reiterates that people should not click on any links that they are sent in an email, no matter who the email claims to be from. Mystery shopper jobs that are advertised through emails will expect the recipient to click on the link which then infects your computer with spyware so that scammers can track your internet history and gain access to your bank account and other important personal information such as user names and passwords.

It may be tempting for those who are struggling financially and who have no work, to go for these mystery shopping scams that are emerging, and it is hard to tell which are real and which are not, but the most important thing to remember is that legitimate mystery shopping opportunities can always be corroborated by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association and by contacting the Better Business Bureau to find out of there is a scam similar to an opportunity you have discovered.

To learn more about how to find the legitimate mystery shopper careers you should visit Mystery Shopper Job Finder today and become a member to learn about all the current opportunities.

If you are looking for a quick and easy way to make money, then mystery shopping jobs might seem like the obvious choice, however, you would be mistaken. Mystery shopping is not simply about going shopping and getting paid to buy stuff, it is rather about being an analyst. You need to be alert and have the ability to pick apart a store to find its weaknesses and give constructive criticism. When you are a mystery shopper you are working for the headquarters of a franchise or branch and typically you will receive assignments that will test the store’s and employees’ abilities.

This feedback is very important for the heads of the store to see what is working and what isn’t. They will have firsthand knowledge provided by you about whether the store’s problems are its design, cleanliness, staff members, management, position, and how other customers enjoy shopping at the store.

Aside from a store, secret shopping jobs can also be done at movie theatres and restaurants, where you will get to rate the quality of service you received and provide feedback about the overall experience. The goal of this is to find out if the branch is doing well and gives the owners an insight into what could be improved.

The truth about mystery shopping jobs is that they are not just a matter of rating a store or service, but in fact providing details about the experience and offering a comprehensive, well rounded feedback to the client. This requires more work on your part in terms of keeping your eyes and ears open whilst on assignment, taking in everything around you. You also have to remain calm and not give away who you are. Acting normal is the key to success here.

You also need to have a good memory. If you walked around making notes of everything, it would give you away, so the best thing to do is to write everything down as soon as you get home. Making detailed notes about your experience is the most important aspect of mystery shopping, as is following the assignment to a tee.

You might be required to ask specific questions or order certain items. You might be required to purchase something one day and then bring it back the next day for exchange to see how this is handled. Whatever your tasks, you must be sure to describe exactly what happened and how the store reacted and treated you throughout. Any small issue should be mentioned, and excellent service you received should also be highlighted, although a subjective approach should be used at all times.

If you provide an excellent, well written, detailed account of each assignment, you will be chosen for many more secret shopping and market research jobs. This is a great way to boost your income and although it will take a huge effort to make this into a full time career, it could be the start of a brand new career path where you are self employed and have the freedom to work from home.

If this sounds like a job that you could do well, then you should check out Mystery Shopper Job Finder. Here you will gain access to 150 pages of information pertaining to secret shopping and discover the best mystery shopping companies to join. You will also learn about the many scams that come with a mystery shopping career and find out how to avoid them.  There is also a job board that you can check every day for any new mystery shopper jobs that are listed.

Thanks to US market research company, Industrial Info Resources, 50 new market research jobs will be created in Galway, Ireland. These jobs will be largely in the sales and administration fields as well as research for the heavy manufacture, industrial processing, and energy industries around the world.

The President of Industrial Info Resources, Ed Lewis, commented, “Galway is an ideal location to grow our operations to better service our customers throughout Europe. We are confident that the skills we require are readily available in Ireland for the long-term success of our European operations.”

According to the Minster for Enterprise, Trade and Innovation, Batt O’Keeffe, the investment is just what Galway has needed. “IIR’s investment in Galway reinforces the western region’s growing reputation as a location for high-end business services operations.”

Market research is something that will never lose business and as long as people demand quality of service, in any sector, then market research companies will always have work and make money. Companies are determined to find out what makes people tick, and how they can improve on their services, customer satisfaction, and filling a niche. This is the kind of thing that market research companies do.

When you work for a market research firm, you can become a private mystery shopper, but for industrial purposes there will obviously be different kinds of market research being done. You can find yourself heading up various departments, working directly on the research, doing analysis, and much more.

The main aim of market research is to find out what the target audience is for a company. This is not just a once of thing either. New research will have to be done continuously to account for any trend changes, company changes, product changes and more. You might find that a store decides to get a modern new look and this can suddenly appeal to a different group of people than it did before.

These various changes will have to be picked up on with market research with the market research companies offering statistics along with advice for marketing and even packaging. Sometimes a company will want to make a change of sorts, but would first like to find out from the public how it will be received or get ideas on how to make the changes. A market research panel will be assembled to discuss these ideas, and usually individual mystery shopper or freelance market researchers will be called in to assist, giving their impressions.

Market research can go a long way towards helping a company to achieve its goals and provide the platform for an effective ad campaign based on the results found. If you think you have what it takes to be involved in market research and you want to learn more about available market research jobs like the ones in Galway, you should join Mystery Shopper Job Finder. Here you will have access to insider information about the jobs and what the best companies to work for are, as well as find out how to avoid scams. Market research jobs can be applied for directly from the Job Board.

When you are searching for a job that you can do from home and that offers flexible hours, mystery shopping sounds ideal. However, with all the scams that are apparent and reported on in the media every day, how do you know who to trust? One place to start is the Mystery Shopping Providers Association or MSPA. This association lists just about all of the legitimate mystery shopping companies that you can join when you are thinking about earning some extra cash as a mystery shopper.

A mystery shopper and a secret shopper are the same thing. Essentially you are going under cover and pretending to be just an ordinary customer at any company. This could be at a retail store, a movie theatre, a bank, or any other business that requires quality control. Head offices usually hire a mystery shopping company from the MSPA as the have 2 levels of certification and are fully equipped to deal with the assignments required.

Part of the assignments that are given to mystery shoppers will be to go to a store, purchase something, enquire about something and leave. They are then required to assess the service received, if the product was in stock, how the staff handled the questions they were asked and the overall look of the store.

The great thing about being a mystery shopper is that although you don’t get actual company benefits, you do get certain rewards including tax benefits such as claiming for home office space. You can also get certain products that you are required to buy as part of your assignments. Now, you have to remember that you will also get paid a set amount for each assignment and when you look for legitimate opportunities it is always best to go with a company that explains in detail how the payments will work. If you can, try to speak to someone else who works for the company to find out how reliable they are.

It is also useful to read about some of the mystery shopping job scams that are out there so that you can identify them easily and you will be sure to know if you are looking at a scam or not. If you are unsure about a mystery shopping job that you have come across or that you have been offered, you should contact the Mystery Shopping Providers Association to find out if they know about it or the company offering the job.

If you are unsure at all about any mystery shopping job offer, then rather don’t do it. As the old saying goes, if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is. Rather stick to the companies that are legitimate and listed with the MSPA. If you want to learn more about mystery shopping and find out how you can become a secret shopper, then join Mystery Shopper Job Finder. You will gain access to some of the best mystery shopping jobs and start earning a secondary income in no time.

Of almost 80 UK towns, Ludlow has been placed 10th in a mystery shopping test that has taken place that has assessed more than 50 retailers in each town. The mystery shopping test, Location Model, was done by the ESA market research company who are doing a survey to see which towns rank the best in terms of an overall great shopping experience. Professional mystery shoppers who visited the town during December rated 42 out of the 50 stores in the area above 80 percent. The overall results showed that 93 percent of mystery shoppers would return to the stores and that 91 percent would recommend these stores to a friend.

The number one store as voted by the secret shoppers was Bentley’s Wine Merchants, receiving a score of 97.8 percent. The second shop was Capitol Carpets, who received 97.5 percent, and third was Bensons of Ludlow receiving 96. Aside from analyzing each shop, the professional mystery shoppers also interviewed about 100 consumers. The main areas that were noted were the cleanliness and tidiness of the town, the feeling of safety, and it was also found that there is also parking which is not congested, and that it was easy to find somewhere good to eat.

The benefit of the reports was to assess the towns in the UK to see which ones needed improving upon so that tourists and visitors would enjoy their time in each place. Even Ludlow, being one of the highest rated towns, will celebrate their achievement, but at the same time work on those areas that needed it. For this survey lots of professional mystery shoppers were needed and if you want to make money from assessing shops like this, then you should think about joining a Mystery Shopping Agency or Market Research Company.

By doing this you will have the opportunity to be called for any assignment in your area and this can involve mystery shopping jobs, market research jobs, and survey jobs. The great thing about this type of job is that anyone can do it and you can do it from home. It is perfect for retirees, housewives, or anyone else who just wants to earn an extra income from going shopping.

One of the most important things to remember when you become part of a secret shopping company is to do the training that is provided and be prepared to complete the assignments within the given time. You will have to write up a report on your experience and the best time to do this is right after you have gone mystery shopping. You will have to include the customer service, the product displays, the atmosphere of the store, their efficiency, and much more.

This is used to make sure that the stores are always in the best possible condition and that they are always ready to serve customers to the highest of standards. There are lots of mystery shopping opportunities out there, but you have to also beware of scams where fraudulent activity will take place and that you will sometimes be involved in unknowingly. The best way to understand how secret shopping works is to visit Mystery Shopper Job Finder and learn about the different jobs you can find as well as the scams that are around.

With large corporations always on the lookout for new ways to attract customers and to keep their current ones happy, they have looked to market research for many years. This is mainly because it works. They have to employ market research companies to conduct the research needed, which is where you and I come in to the picture. Market research jobs are always available. You will get a call based on your age, gender, and other criteria for certain jobs. These can be in the form of a survey or group discussion.

You will get called together to discuss a certain product and this will help that company to market it, brand it, or develop it. For example, if a company is looking to bring out a new type of washing powder, they are going to ask the market research company to conduct a discussion. They will get a group of housewives together, probably between the ages of 25 and 45. They will ask the women what they want their washing powder to do, how much they are willing to spend for a good quality product, if they prefer washing powder with built in fabric softener or not, etc.

Once the group discussion is over the market research teams will collaborate and draw up a report of their findings. This will then be presented to the company that requested it. Looking at the job side of things, you can easily join a market research company. All you have to do is find a reliable and trustworthy one that pays well and on time. You don’t have to have any experience to do this and you will probably only be contacted in regards to products or companies that you are familiar with.

You don’t have to take part in each market research project, but if you go frequently you will be called more and you will start earning a nice extra salary. This will not be a huge amount, but it is not a bad amount either, and is perfect for pocket change and for getting started in a more permanent market research or mystery shopping career. To find out more about being a mystery shopper or taking part in market research, all you have to do is visit Mystery Shopper Job Finder today.

Companies all over the world require specific types of market research to be performed, in order to understand their customers and clients, as well as to get an inside look into how their staff members perform. Market research jobs encompass various techniques and methods, one of which is mystery shopping, also known as secret shopping.

For those who love to shop and who are interested in giving their opinion about certain stores, services, and more, you can become a mystery shopper. When you apply to become a mystery shopper you will get paid for each assignment that you are given. This might be to go to a certain store, purchase a certain product, and pay for it in a certain way. The aim will be to assess the store and staff to see that everything was handled correctly and smoothly. You might be asked to give detailed accounts of how the staff assisted you, how long it took to make a purchase, and if there were any problems.

Another task that secret shoppers are given might be to visit a restaurant or cinema. You will have to provide assessments of how you were served, what parts of the service you think could be improved upon, and what aspects you found to be of a high standard. All of these details will help the parent company or head office to improve the functioning of the store for all its customers and employees.

Now, when you decide that you want to become a mystery shopper, you will have to go to a reliable mystery shopping company or market research company. You might be required to get some training in how to make assessments and in how to write up your reports, but you can expect to earn a good salary when you do this kind of work.

Another method of market research that you can earn a good amount of money from is surveys. Market research companies might ask you to complete a survey on a specific company or product. This could be to find out your opinions on new branding that a company wishes to use, and to find out other details about the product, its image, and how customers feel about using it.

Aside from surveys, companies can pay you for attending workshops to find out what every day customers think of their products or services. These workshops are normally attended by a specific niche of customer. For example, they might ask for women between the ages of 20 and 25 to attend, or market research teams could request bald men between the ages of 30 and 40 for a specific product.

The workshops will be lead by a market research expert and you will have to answer questions and take part in discussions about the particular item. This will give the company a good idea of how people feel about their company or their products.

With the various ways of conducting market research, these are the top three that are generally used by a market research or mystery shopping company. If you want to find out more about what it takes to get involved in market research, you should visit Mystery Shopper Job Finder to get more information.

If you are looking to expand your mystery shopping job portfolio, you will have to learn all you can about market research and how companies conduct this research to make improvements to their company. Market research and mystery shopping jobs are similar and in fact intrinsically linked. Without mystery shoppers and secret shopping jobs, it would be impossible to conduct accurate market research in some instances.

Mystery shopping is therefore a very effective market research tool that most companies choose to use and where you can excel if you understand the dynamics involved. When you get a mystery shopping assignment, you will find that they are very specific. You might be asked to specifically buy a certain product and then return it the next day. This could be to assess the store’s returns policy and customer care.

You could get a secret shopping assignment that requires you to make various enquiries into a service or product. This could be to analyze the staff and their ability to promote their key service or to see how well they understand the different aspects of their job. For example, a cinema might have a special membership card that allows you to get points every time you watch a movie and work your way up to getting a free ticket. The staff should all be trained to sell these cards and explain how they work to customers. Now to check that this aspect of the company is running smoothly, market research will need to be done and this is where a mystery shopper comes in.

You buy a movie ticket and ask about the card. The secret shopper’s job is to create a detailed account of the experience and give an analysis of how well the salesperson handled the questions and if they explained about the card correctly. Part of assessing the salesperson could involve actually purchasing the card, so that the entire process can be analyzed.

With market research, you can use secret shopping as a tool, as well as certain over the phone mystery shopper jobs. Instead of getting an assignment that takes you to a store, you might be asked to call the store as a customer. You might be assessing the store’s ability to answer the phone correctly and their telephone manner when customers call.

The different types of market research techniques used by secret shoppers are helpful when you want to work as a mystery shopper full time. You can use mystery shopping as a part time job for some extra cash, but many people who want to work from home can learn more and better themselves. By looking at various market research techniques and how they affect companies, you can set yourself up to get far more mystery shopping jobs and make more money.

If you want to learn more about mystery shopping jobs and market research job techniques you can easily check out the Mystery Shopper Job Finder website. When you become a member you will have full access to the website’s resources regarding mystery shopping, what you need for secret shopping success, and how to be a mystery shopper. You will learn how to apply for mystery shopping jobs and where to get the most reliable job offers and secret shopping companies.

There are many secret shopping and mystery shopping jobs available with large and small companies all over the world. You can easily find these opportunities by checking out a website like Mystery Shopper Job Finder. Here you will gain access to all the available mystery shopping jobs and find out which companies are hiring and how the entire hiring process works. If you want to work for yourself, with flexible hours, and get paid for doing your ordinary shopping, then you can easily become a mystery shopper. Here is more about one of the top job placements you can get with a company called Maritz.

Maritz is a mystery shopping and market research company. In fact, it is one of the top in the world, appearing as number 166 on the Top 500 Forbes List for private companies. Maritz has created work for millions of people around the world, with branches in about 42 countries. Most of the work they offer is for the United States market as well as Canada and the UK.

An easy way to become a mystery shopper with Maritz is to go to their website. You can access the application forms there and very soon you can be one of their mystery shoppers. Once you have sent in your application, one of their representatives will contact you. The entire process will be explained to you in detail including how and when you get paid and how much, what type of secret shopper job opportunities there are, and the training you are required to complete.

Instead of working for a company as an ordinary mystery shopper, Maritz makes sure that you are a professionally trained mystery shopper. This means that you will have all the qualifications needed to accurately assess and provide analysis of a company and its staff. Only the biggest and best companies choose Maritz to provide them with secret shoppers, which means that you also get paid more than the average company would pay.

Aside from Maritz there are numerous other top market research and mystery shopping companies out there that you can find if you look at the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA). You can find them in every country in the world and aside from getting paid to shop you will also receive rewards and free items. Usually the items you are required to purchase as part of your assignments will be paid for. If you have to go to a restaurant or the cinema, your meals and tickets will also be compensated for.

Mystery shopping is an excellent job to have if you are a stay at home mom, freelancer, or retired but still looking for some extra income. Your hours and assignments will vary, but usually the more you work, the more work you will receive. If you can work every day in a mystery shopping job you will end up making a nice amount of money.