Specificities of mystery shopping in retail financial services

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to investigate methodological specificities of mystery shopping in retail financial services, as well as a set new non-methodology related challenges in management of mystery shopping studies, introduced with recent innovations in mystery shopping. The article also reveals methodological recommendations on how to enhance the overall quality of mystery shopping studies in light of current international standards and code of conduct in mystery shopping. Exposed recommendations indicate that quality of mystery shopping in retail financial services can be enhanced by: (a) conducting mystery shopping on continual basis, (b) mystery shopping in entire network of branch offices, (c) integrating all components of service delivery into research subject, and (d) continuous application of quality control instruments prior, throughout, and afterwards the study. Findings are mainly applicable in mystery shopping in retail financial services, as well as to an extent, in mystery shopping in other retail and corporate services.