What is the methodology for large scale shopper

Hello fellow shoppers. I hope you can help me understanding few things here. I just started a mystery shopper company and we do specialized classis style audits with our specialized personnel visiting the locations. We recently got a job order to audit a large fast food chain in Asia. They require 5 visit per store with 5 different shoppers. The shoppers must wear a camera plus the questionnaire to fill etc. etc.
My question is, how do we provide a camera for everybody? Do we ask the camera back after the visit? What about the money for the food? We cannot do reimboursement because its a poor country and people do not have the money to advance. Should we give the cash to all of them?
Would you know where i can gather all the other information? Are there publications or sites about the large scale shopper? Somewhere where i can get the full process explained? I will be really grateful if some of you can help me out with this. Thanks allot in advance. Andres

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It sounds like you are not US-based. You might consider a membership in MSPA Asia/Pacific for the networking opportunities.
[www.mspa-ap.org]

For the camera, if you cannot find shoppers who already own their own cameras (I'm assuming you mean hidden cameras) your company could purchase them and ship them to shoppers as needed. Typically, when a shopper gets a camera sent to them from an MSC, they do several shops with it and return it when all are complete. But, yes, you would need to get it back and you need a way for shoppers to upload the videos through your website, email them or send them back on an SD card.

Rather than advancing funds for the purchase, I would look into a fast turnaround for reimbursements. Once the receipt has been submitted, you could reimburse the shopper within days through PayPal, PayEase or whatever is available for you. This may require the client advancing you the funds for reimbursements. Advancing funds to shoppers can be problematic if they end up not completing the shops or they complete them incorrectly and you can't get paid for them from your client. After you have reliable shoppers that have worked with you for a while, maybe advancing funds in certain cases would not be as risky.

Oh, wow. Just WOW. Are you located in Asia?

If people are too poor to eat in the fast food establishments, I can see where they could not shop there. Frankly, if you're too poor to eat there, how do you even get there? Public transportation, walking, bicycling? And if your shoppers are that poor, are they the targeted demographic, even?

The client might provide the cameras. Are there laws against recording people without them knowing it? (In some of the states, it's illegal ; in others, it's OK. So you'd have to check.) Here, standard camera gear runs about $500 US Dollars. My first video assignment, the MSC provided the camera and gear, and I did return it to them after completing the assignment.

I truly think this is a case of putting the cart before the horse. This is all research that should have been completed long before accepting this shopping assignment.

I'm not sure if they are available on-line, but there are magazines specifically for restaurant/fast food businesses, and I have read many articles on the efficacies of mystery shopping programs. I would think the information in those articles would be industry wide and useful just about anywhere in the world.

I wish you the best of luck. May you find many perfect shoppers!

Thank you for the invaluable feedback. Really appreciated. Its not that they dont have the money but i am targeting students as shoppers, so their spending capacity is quite low and they would not accept if they have to advance. We did not take up the job yet, we are evaluating as the deadline is also quite tight. Its a first round of 40 shops spred over the country and if they are happy we will get the whole lot, around 2000 shops. Would the camera you buy for 15 dollars work? Surely we cant spend more than that... its a total of 1000 shoppers, and i guess i have to give a camera each? Thanks allot

Thanks allot for taking time to answer my query, really appreciated. No, we are not US based. In this part of the world, mystery shopper is not a practice and we are basically pioneers. Unfortuntely i dont have time to do the right research and its either i improvise or i loose the contract. On the next phase i’ll probably tie up with some US based company as you guys are really the masters. Lets see what happen and i will let you know the result. Thanks allot again

Nm

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/05/2018 07:13PM by AndreaM.

If you need hidden cameras that the shopper can wear, they are pricey. Even at a bulk discount, it would be several hundred dollars per unit. Those are typically used for video shops where the entire shop is recorded. The cameras aren’t the expensive price, it’s the DVR needed to actually record the video.
If you just need pictures of the food, menus, signs etc, your shoppers should be able to get those with a cheap digital camera or the camera on their cell phone.

Ooops...I just assumed when she said "wear a camera" that it was video.

It'll take $$$$ to fund 1,000 shoppers. What a great idea, they can use their cell phones. Again, assuming a population of students mostly HAVE cell phones. I'm definitely NOT tech oriented, but even I can record on my cell phone and then "message" (text message, I think) or e-mail it to whomever I wish (as long as they have an e-mail address, I think).

OP
I would try contacting and maybe sub contracting out to an international mystery shopping provider. I would suggest either Bare international which has an Asia division or International service check which probably has an Asia division.

Shopping Western NY, Northeast and Central PA, and parts of Ohio and West Virginia. Have car will travel anywhere if the monies right.

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What is the methodology for large scale shopper

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