Mystery shopping is a true and tested method within the area of participatory research. It is a method of testing services or systems that is non-intrusive and where the subjects are mostly unaware of them being monitored. Well researched instructions for mystery shoppers can further add to the value of this methodology by using actual common use cases for the system or service. Mystery shopping has gained a reputation for its usefulness in both the applied and scientific retail and services sector, but might also be used for digital businesses and any type of service. Often mystery shopping is recorded, so analysis can be done later.
Recording equipment and smartphones
The right recording equipment can make a big impact on your ability to analyze studies. Whether you use television studio like mobile field recording kits, static microphones, camera systems, the analysis or even simple smartphones can be of great use. Luckily the BMS lab has licenses for transcription software Amberscript and its very own Sociometry app. For a reliable analysis a good recording is essential. The assortment of recording equipment at the BMS lab features many items, ranging from the handy Zoom H4N microphones, to full field recording sets. Video recording is also possible thanks to the full sized (television like) cameras, a variety of Go Pros and smartphones.