Ekaterine Ejibadze,
Portfolio Lead, ACTR

The rapid technological progress of the past decade has created many new opportunities for assessing customer experience. Automated feedback systems and AI-based analytics have become powerful tools for businesses. Against this backdrop, a belief has emerged in many organizations that digital analytics of customer reviews and real-time feedback systems can replace the mystery shopper method as a means of evaluating service quality.

However, observing global practice shows the opposite. According to the 2024 report by Fortune Business Insights (2024), the global mystery shopper services market was valued at approximately $2,217.62 million in 2024, and its volume is expected to reach $2,314.98 million in 2025. Financial indicators also confirm that this method is not disappearing; it remains one of the important research tools. However, it is undergoing a process of transformation. Today, the mystery shopper method is no longer just a control mechanism, nor does it ask only one question: “How well was the company’s standard implemented?” From a control mechanism, it has evolved into a CX tool that brings the customer experience to life.

The mystery shopper is the best tool for businesses that want to answer questions in the following areas:

Standarts Compliance

• Do employees actually follow the established rules?
• Are procedures applied consistently across all touchpoints?

Customer Experience

• How does the customer perceive the service?
• Which details create positive or negative emotions and experiences?

Employee Behavior

• How attentive, empathetic, and professional are employees in creating the service environment?
• What is their level of engagement in the service process?

Processes and System Signals

• Which processes, standards, or training programs do not align with real situations or the actual service process? Where do “artificial limitations” arise that hinder or complicate the customer experience?

Competitive Perception and Opportunities

• How effective is the service compared to competitors?
• Where lies the greatest potential for improving the customer experience (CX)?

Global research and consulting companies such as McKinsey and Forrester note that the role of the mystery shopper has transformed from traditional “monitoring” to experience evaluation. This allows companies to assess the customer experience in a real environment – what the customer feels and why certain impressions are formed, which helps improve service quality, review CX strategies, and increase customer satisfaction and loyalty.

Our own observations also confirm that today the mystery shopper plays a truly important role. It fills the “information gap” and helps companies better understand why the experiences reflected in feedback systems and digital analytics are created in the first place.