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BARE International provides mystery shopping services that help organizations measure and improve customer experience across every touchpoint. Using trained evaluators and customized scenarios, we assess interactions in physical locations, on the phone, online, through mobile apps, and across omnichannel customer journeys.
Our mystery shopping programs deliver objective insights into employee performance, operational compliance, brand standards, sales effectiveness, and customer satisfaction, helping organizations identify opportunities for improvement and make data-driven decisions.
What Is Mystery Shopping?
Mystery shopping is a customer experience research method in which trained evaluators anonymously interact with a business and document their experience using a predefined set of criteria.
These evaluations provide organizations with an unbiased view of how customers are treated, whether brand standards are being followed, and how consistently locations, teams, and channels perform.
Unlike traditional surveys that capture customer opinions after an interaction, mystery shopping measures actual behaviors, processes, and experiences as they occur.
As part of a custom research program, mystery shopping can be used to gauge:
Location Cleanliness
Receive an overview on the up-keep of your location and parameters without having to make personal on-site visits.
Employee Professionalism
Find out how pleasant your employees are to engage with and how professionally they present themselves.
Safety Audit
Ensure your locations are maintained beyond standards. Safety is a key focus and BARE is here to ensure your standards are upheld.
Signage/POP Audit
Ensure your marketing materials and signage are posted according to brand standards and maintained. Branding is a key focus and BARE is here to ensure your standards are upheld.
Experience Consistency
Evaluate the consistency in the customer experience over time.
Pricing
Discover and record pricing from your competitors and other organizations.
How Does Mystery Shopping Work?
1. Define Objectives
We work with your team to identify the customer experience, operational, compliance, or sales metrics you want to measure.
2. Develop Evaluation Scenarios
Our experts create customized evaluation forms and shopper scenarios aligned with your business goals and brand standards.
3. Conduct Evaluations
Trained evaluators complete visits, calls, online interactions, or mobile app assessments while remaining anonymous.
4. Collect and Verify Data
Each evaluation is reviewed through quality assurance processes to ensure accuracy and consistency.
5. Deliver Insights
Results are provided through reporting dashboards and analytics tools that highlight trends, opportunities, and actionable recommendations.
What Can Mystery Shopping Measure?
Mystery shopping programs can be customized to evaluate virtually any aspect of the customer experience, including:
- Employee professionalism and service quality
- Sales behaviors and upselling techniques
- Compliance with company standards
- Cleanliness and facility conditions
- Product knowledge
- Customer wait times
- Brand consistency
- Pricing and promotional compliance
- Safety and security procedures
- Inventory availability
- Signage and visual merchandising
- Competitor performance and benchmarking
Types of Mystery Shopping Services
In Person
Evaluators visit your location in person to perform a previously defined scenario. The evaluator will record their experience at various touch points throughout the customer journey, reporting their experience using our live dashboard technology. Insights may include:
- location cleanliness
- employee professionalism
- pricing audit
- safety audit
- experience consistency
- marketing and branding
- competitor analysis
- inventory audit
Phone
An Evaluator will record their experience at various touch points throughout the phone discussion. These calls can be made to individual locations or to your Customer Support Center. Select evaluations may include audio recording for a true share of the experience. Calls can be recorded for a true share of the experience which may include insights around:
- timeliness
- friendliness
- enthusiasm
- brand awareness
- information relevance
- script compliance
Web
Evaluators provide information on every aspect of the customer interaction with your business via your website, online chat feature, and/or mobile app. Insights may include:
- ease of navigation
- technical operations
- purchase process efficiency
- employee-customer relations, including AI interactions
Industries We Serve
BARE International supports organizations across a wide range of industries, including:
- Retail
- Restaurants and Food Service
- Hospitality
- Automotive
- Financial Services
- Healthcare
- Fitness and Wellness
- Telecommunications
- Luxury Brands
- Convenience Stores
- Consumer Services
- Franchise Organizations
Our global network enables us to conduct mystery shopping programs in more than 165 countries.
Why Businesses Use Mystery Shopping
Organizations use mystery shopping to:
- Improve customer satisfaction
- Increase employee accountability
- Strengthen operational consistency
- Verify compliance with standards and regulations
- Improve sales performance
- Reduce customer complaints
- Benchmark against competitors
- Identify training opportunities
- Protect brand reputation
- Support continuous improvement initiatives
By measuring real customer experiences, organizations gain insights that surveys and operational reports often miss.
Why Choose BARE International?
For nearly 40 years, BARE International has helped organizations understand and improve customer experiences worldwide.
Global Reach
Conduct evaluations in over 165 countries through our extensive evaluator network.
Industry Expertise
Our team supports programs ranging from local evaluations to complex multinational customer experience initiatives.
Flexible Methodologies
Combine mystery shopping with audits, customer surveys, online reputation management, and other customer experience solutions.
Actionable Reporting
Access dashboards and analytics that transform observations into business decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the purpose of mystery shopping?
Mystery shopping helps organizations objectively measure customer experiences, employee performance, compliance, and operational execution.
What makes a successful mystery shopping program?
Successful programs align evaluation criteria with business objectives, provide consistent measurement, and use insights to drive action.
Can mystery shopping measure employee performance?
Yes. Mystery shopping can evaluate service quality, sales behaviors, product knowledge, compliance, and adherence to company standards.
What industries benefit from mystery shopping?
Retail, hospitality, restaurants, automotive, banking, healthcare, telecommunications, and many other customer-facing industries benefit from mystery shopping programs.
Can mystery shopping be conducted online?
Yes. Evaluations can assess websites, mobile apps, online chat, social media interactions, and digital customer journeys.
How are mystery shopping results reported?
Results are typically delivered through dashboards, scorecards, benchmarking reports, trend analyses, and executive summaries.
Request a Mystery Shopping Consultation
Discover how mystery shopping can help your organization improve customer experiences, strengthen operational performance, and drive measurable business results.
Contact BARE International today to discuss your customer experience objectives and receive a customized mystery shopping solution.
SCHEDULE A CONSULTATION FOR YOUR BUSINESS
You can and should, see your business through your customers’ eyes. BARE’s customer experience research can provide you with critical data to make meaningful business decisions.
Complimentary Consultation*
*Restrictions and Limitations apply.
Mystery Shopping at a Glance
What is mystery shopping?
A research method that measures customer experiences through anonymous evaluations.
What does mystery shopping measure?
Customer service, compliance, cleanliness, sales performance, operational standards, and brand consistency.
Who uses mystery shopping?
Retailers, restaurants, hospitality brands, automotive companies, financial institutions, healthcare providers, and franchise organizations.
Why is mystery shopping important?
It provides objective insights into real customer experiences and identifies opportunities for improvement.
How does BARE International conduct mystery shopping?
Through trained evaluators, customized scenarios, quality assurance reviews, and reporting dashboards that deliver actionable insights.
“BARE International restored trust in the mystery shopping program across the company with their operational excellence and professionalism in every market.”
Jennifer Rice
Head of Insight
The Body Shop
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in the BARE network
13Offices
around the world
250,000+Evaluations
completed worldwide each year
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