The history of mystery shopping spans changing technology, expanding opportunities and new ways of reporting what customers experience. For 40 years, mystery shoppers have helped businesses understand those real experiences.
Technology has changed.
Assignment types have expanded.
Reports are submitted faster than ever before.
Yet the foundation of customer experience research has remained remarkably consistent: thoughtful people observing real experiences, documenting what happened and providing businesses with meaningful insight they can use to improve.
As Confero celebrates its 40th anniversary, we also celebrate the mystery shopping industry itself—and the shoppers, clients and team members who have helped it evolve.
The Opportunities Have Changed
Many longtime shoppers remember when assignments focused primarily on banks, restaurants and retail stores.
Today, customer experience research reaches nearly every industry.
Shoppers evaluate apartment communities, home builders, amusement parks, airports, medical offices, senior living communities, automotive services, financial institutions, phone interactions and much more.
Shirley of CA has watched that evolution firsthand.
“I’ve seen the industry expand to include luxury hotels, airport locations, video shops, and major home builders, which has made the work even more engaging.”
Today’s shoppers have more variety than ever before.
The Technology Has Changed
Many experienced shoppers remember handwritten notes, printed client requirements and desktop computers.
Lisa of MN remembers completing reports long before online submission became standard.
“Confero was my first mystery shopping company. I did oil changes and back then we used CARBON paper to write the reports. 💜 Congratulations on 40 years!”
Today, smartphones allow shoppers to photograph displays, upload receipts, submit reports and communicate with schedulers from almost anywhere.
Technology has transformed the work behind the scenes as well.
Paul Jacobi, Confero’s Director of Insights & Analytics, remembers how dramatically mobile technology changed everyday operations.
“Starting in ’97, our mobile technology, specifically cell phones, were pretty much voice and text devices. It wasn’t until a decade later that the very first iPhone even launched, and I personally didn’t have a ‘smart phone’ until several years later.
An afterhours work call meant likely either only discussing an issue or, if an emergency, needing to get someplace with access to a workstation or laptop to get online.
Fast-forward to 2016. I get a text message from the boss in the evening while I’m attending a concert. I texted back, ‘I’ll call you between sets.’ Thirty minutes later we talk, then I open the browser on my phone, log in to our vendor site and correct the problem in a matter of minutes. Then I had plenty of time to get back inside, grab a new beverage and enjoy the next set.
That would not have happened in 2005.”
Our ShopperFest Community Insights survey reflected that same shift. Most respondents reported checking assignment communications daily—or even multiple times each day—demonstrating how connected mystery shopping has become.
The tools continue to evolve.
The responsibility to observe carefully, follow client requirements and report accurately does not.
Shoppers Still Learn One Assignment at a Time
Every experienced shopper once completed a first assignment.
Nycole first experienced customer experience research while working for a staffing company as an undercover applicant helping evaluate the hiring process.
Carlton first learned about mystery shopping after seeing a segment on Good Morning America while attending New York University.
Kathy returned after nearly a decade away and rediscovered how well mystery shopping fit her life.
Different stories.
Different backgrounds.
The same willingness to learn.
What the History of Mystery Shopping Still Teaches Us
Businesses still need objective observations.
Clients still depend on shoppers who follow client requirements carefully.
Reliable reporting still matters.
Professional communication still matters.
Helping businesses improve still matters.
Technology makes the work faster.
People make the work valuable.
Looking Ahead
Forty years of customer experience research have brought tremendous change.
Artificial intelligence, mobile technology and new research methods will continue shaping the future.
The next generation of tools will almost certainly look different from today’s.
But every new platform, every new app and every new technology will still depend on people willing to observe carefully, communicate professionally and provide businesses with meaningful insight.
That has been true throughout Confero’s 40 years.
And it remains the foundation of mystery shopping today.
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