What are Mystery Shopper Checklists?

Companies can test their products and services with the help of mystery shoppers or conduct their own market research. Checklists can be used to give mystery shoppers an easy way to assess the product or service.

The checklists can contain questions of all types. Depending on the industry, typical test elements for mystery shopper checklists include:

• External and internal impression
• Employee friendliness and initiative
• Cleanliness and order
• Product presentation and inventory
• Competence and closing orientation
• Overall impression

Checklists for mystery shopping are used in various industries that have one thing in common: Contact with the customer. These include, for example, pharmacies, car dealerships, banks, call centers, retail and specialty stores, fitness studios, restaurants and hotels.

Companies hope that evaluations based on a mystery shopper checklist will improve customer service and customer satisfaction in particular, as well as enabling them to better comply with specifications and regulations.

This article discusses the following:

1. What should be included in a mystery shopper checklist?

2. Advantages of a digital mystery shopping questionnaire

3. Why use Lumiform for mystery shopping checklists?

What Should Be Included in a Mystery Shopper Form?

Firstly, be aware that the questions should depend on the branche and the product. Genrerally, you should always ask about the overall experience and you should also ask, if the mystery shopper has any improvement-suggestions. In the following we summarized some of the topics you should cover depending on what you want to evaluate:

1. Product

Ask questions about the following topics related to the product:

• Product quality
• Product experience
• Any defects
• Packaging

2. Gastronomic facility

Ask questions about the following topics that are important to evaluate in gastronomic establishments:

• Food quality
• Taste
• Ambiente
• Staff and their kindness
• If the food was served in a timely manner
• Cleanliness

3. Retail

Ask questions about the following topics that are important in retail:

• Selection (e.g. of clothing, food, technology)
• Whether they found what they were looking for
• Product quality
• Staff kindness
• Prices
• Cleanliness

4. Service

Ask questions about the following topics related to services:

• Service offered
• Friendliness and competence of staff
• Waiting time
• Quickness in execution
• Quality of service

5. Hotel industry

Ask questions about the following topics that are important in the hotel industry:

• Service and leisure facilities
• Gastronomic facilities
• Ambience and cleanliness of the room
• Friendliness, competence and initiative of the staff
• Check-out & check-in process

Common to all mystery shopper questionnaires, regardless of industry, is that the location, date and time of the mystery shopper engagement must always be noted. In addition, the mystery shopper must confirm the accuracy of his or her information at the end.

Advantages of a Digital Mystery Shopping Questionnaire

Digitizing paper also offers great advantages for a mystery check questionnaire, including:

1. Saving time - Send the completed questionnaire directly to the mystery shopper with just one click.


2. It's clearer - You don't have to wonder if a box has been checked or not, and you no longer have trouble reading handwriting.


3. It's all in one place - All documents are stored online on your mobile device or computer.

Why use Lumiform for Mystery Shopping Checklists?

Lumiform is a great way for companies or mystery shopper agencies to conduct mystery shopping surveys more conveniently. With the mobile app and desktop software, gone are the days of conducting assessments with pen and paper.

Mystery shoppers can use their smartphone or tablet to call up their checklist for the company being evaluated while still on site and record the most important impressions without being noticed. In this way, important details for the evaluation of the mystery shopping experience are no longer lost.

A summary report with all answers is automatically generated at the end of each survey. In addition, the analysis functions can be used to perform initial evaluations without having to first transfer the collected data from the checklist to another tool.

Digitized checklists from Lumiform offer mystery shoppers and their clients the following advantages:

• The flexible form builder helps you turn any custom paper list into a digital checklist in minutes, and make real-time adjustments at any time.


• Reports are automatically generated after each completed mystery shopping trip, which is why you save on all the manual follow-up.


• The simpler analysis of all data and faster identification of areas that need your attention saves you time.


• Lumiform guides the mystery shopper through the questionnaire, so there is no need for special training for each assignment.


• Very easy to use with no room for error by the mystery shopper. The app offers less complexity in filling out checklists and documenting information.