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Mystery Shopping Program Guide

This handbook explains how we run a mystery-shopping programme: how shoppers are vetted, which scenarios we deploy, how visits are scored, what evidence we require, when reports arrive, and how findings should — and should not — be used. It is a reference document; there is nothing to fill in or return. Where it differs from your signed services agreement, the agreement governs.

Section 1 — Methodology & Shopper Vetting

A mystery-shopping programme is only as good as the panel behind it. Our shoppers are recruited to look like your actual customers in that market, not like professional auditors, and every one of them is vetted before a single assignment is offered.

Identity verified and a confidentiality agreement signed before the first visit.
A standing shopper profile records coverage area, categories, availability and languages, so assignments are matched rather than broadcast.
Conflicts of interest are declared up front — nobody shops a brand they work for, worked for recently, or has a close family connection to.
Rotation rules stop the same shopper being sent back to a location often enough to be recognised.
Report quality is reviewed on every submission; shoppers who fabricate or recycle content are removed from the panel permanently.

Section 2 — Scenario Types We Run

Scenario	What it measures	Typical duration
Purchase visit	The full journey from entry to payment, including upsell and close	20–30 minutes
Browse visit	Whether an undecided customer is approached, and how well they are advised	15–20 minutes
Phone enquiry	Answer time, accuracy of information, and whether a follow-up is offered	5–10 minutes
Click-and-collect	Order accuracy, wait at the counter, and the online-to-store handover	10–15 minutes in store
Complaint handling	Service recovery from a scripted, low-intensity issue	15–25 minutes
Return or refund	Policy consistency and tone when money goes back to the customer	10–20 minutes

Section 3 — The Scoring Framework

Each scored area is rated 1–5 against an observable standard, then weighted according to your programme file to give an overall visit score. Scores describe a single visit at a single moment — they are a sample, not a census.

Score	Band	Interpretation
5	Exceptional	Behaviour worth codifying and teaching across the estate.
4	Strong	Above standard with minor, easily coached gaps.
3	Met standard	The expected experience was delivered. This is the healthy baseline.
2	Below standard	A defined step was missed. Address through coaching, not sanction.
1	Serious failure	A real customer would have been lost. Escalated as soon as it is verified.

Section 4 — Evidence Standards

Every purchase visit is backed by the original itemised receipt. No receipt, no score for the purchase section.
Entry, wait and exit times are recorded to the minute, not estimated after the fact.
Photographs cover shelves, signage and store condition only. We do not photograph staff, customers, tills or back-of-house areas.
Comments describe observable behaviour — what was said and done — rather than the shopper’s inference about attitude or motive.
Any low score must be supported by a specific narrative comment before the report is accepted.
We do not use covert audio or video recording in any programme.

Section 5 — Reporting & Turnaround

The shopper logs a check-in immediately after the visit and submits the full evaluation within 24 hours.
A coordinator reviews the report for completeness, evidence and tone, and queries anything unclear with the shopper.
Accepted individual reports are delivered to you within five business days of the visit.
Anything meeting your escalation rules is raised the same day it is verified, ahead of the report.
A period summary follows at the end of each cycle — score trends by location, region and scored area.
At each programme review we revisit locations, cadence, scenarios, weightings and caps, and record the outcome in your programme file.

Section 6 — Anonymity, Legality & Fair Use of Findings

Shopper identities are never disclosed to you or to evaluated staff, under any circumstances.
Reports identify staff only as far as your programme file permits and local law allows.
Personal data in reports is processed for the agreed evaluation purpose only, retained for the agreed period, and then deleted.
Use findings to coach, to recognise good practice, and to spot patterns across locations over time.
Do not use a single visit as the sole basis for disciplinary action, dismissal, or an individual pay decision. One visit is one sample.
Tell your teams that the programme exists and what it measures. Transparency about the programme costs nothing; transparency about a specific visit ruins the sample.

Section 7 — Reimbursement & Billing Policy

Assignment fees cover the shopper’s time and the coordination and review behind each visit.
Required purchases are reimbursed at cost, up to the cap recorded in your programme file, and are billed on separately from fees.
Spend above the cap is not passed on to you unless it was approved in writing beforehand.
A visit aborted through no fault of the shopper — closed store, refit, product unavailable — is billed at the aborted-visit rate and rescheduled.
A rejected report is never billed, and the visit is re-run at our cost.
Scope changes are quoted in writing before work starts and never appear as a surprise line on an invoice.

This guide is general information about how we work and is not legal or employment advice. Take local advice before using evaluation findings in any people decision.

Use this template

Templates in this pack

The Mystery Shopper pack includes 6 ready-to-use templates. Each one is a structured, fully editable form you can share with clients to collect information, documents, and signatures in one place.

Frequently asked questions

What's included in the Mystery Shopper templates?

The Mystery Shopper pack contains 6 templates: Mystery Shopping Program Guide, Client Program File, Mystery Shopper Mission Brief, Store Evaluation Report, Visit Expense & Reimbursement, Mystery Shopping Services Agreement. Each is ready to use and fully editable.

Can I customize these templates?

Yes. Every Pocper template is fully editable — add or remove fields, change the wording, and adapt each form to your workflow before sharing it with clients.

How do I use the Mystery Shopper templates?

Import the pack into your Pocper workspace, open a template, tailor it to your needs, then share a link so clients can fill it out and upload documents in real time.