Coronavirus Discussion How is Mystery Shopping / Smartphone Task app work going to work after Coronavirus?

[Jon]

I'm seeing quite a few shops around me open up over the last week. Cafes offering takeaways, regular takeaways as well now offering home delivery service so I would say in a month or so we should be back to shops being open with social distancing and only a handful of people in the store a time.

But how is that going to translate into say the Smartphone Task app work where you typically need to be incognito in a store? That's going to be pretty hard to do in a newsagent or small food store (like an Iceland) when there are only 10 other people in the shop!

Mystery Shopping is going to be a tough one as I think 'customer interaction' is going to be dialled down an awful lot so getting all the details on you waiter while you have a meal and have next to no customer experience is just going to be the norm?!?

This sort of work is going to need an entire re-think isn't it apart from the sort of outside billboard / road name snapping tasks which can obviously carry on

 

[Karonher]

I cant imagine that it will be possible to do many of the jobs that have been provided by mystery shopping companies. The fees had been reduced so much that a lot were only worth doing if they were short and you were in the area anyway.

I cant see the companies putting up the fees and who will wait in line for half an hour to get into a shop to carry out a job that will only pay a few pounds?

 

[Dianeayr]

I've been doing 'mystery shopping' work for a good few years now, at the moment there is no work, because none of the shops, restaurants, hotels etc I do mystery customer jobs for are open due to the virus. I agree that the fees have become very low and there is no way I am going to wait in a big queue to earn a few pounds! I am still on their books so will see what happens

 

[mrcbo]

I think it might be called on more. Companies will be more concerned about the presentation of the stores they have left (loads will be wiped out due to the expense) so will want them with correct PPE and other things to show they are looking after staff and customers a like. Might be wrong and companies will have no money left at all. Even amazon has had to spend a lot topping up staff wages and handing out PPE to their sites.

 

[fraserbooks]

I had an email from ipsos mori mystery shopping to say they will have some online shopping jobs in the next few days. In the past when I worked for a company they took over it was things like phoning rail companies and mobile banking. I also did some Facebook and Twitter queries. It was quite easy.

 

[Jon]

Non-essential shops not opening until July is going to keep the breaks on all mystery shopping / smartphone task apps for now I feel

I do wonder if MSing companies are doing to have to go the edigitalresearch route and offering the chance for their home delivery / customer support experiences to be rated instead of anything indoors!