A mystery shopper is someone who visits a business, calls on the phone, chats online, or browses a website posing as a real customer, without anyone at the business knowing they're being evaluated. During that interaction, they observe and record specific points defined in advance: how they were greeted, whether the service protocol was followed, how a question or complaint was handled, what condition the location was in.
It's freelance work, not a fixed job. Payment is per visit or completed assignment.
What a typical visit looks like
Before the visit, evaluators receive a project-specific guide covering what to observe: it could be a physical store, a phone call, a customer service chat, or a digital channel. That guide, and for more complex projects a remote training session beforehand, defines what to evaluate (wait times, staff treatment, protocol compliance, cleanliness, product availability) and what evidence to record, depending on what each project requires.
During the visit, the goal is to behave like a regular customer: ask a genuine question, buy a product, request information. There's no need to act suspiciously or give away that it's an evaluation.
After the visit, evaluators fill out a report or questionnaire covering what they observed, following the structure each project requires. That report is what the contracting business receives to make decisions about its operation.
What kinds of businesses get evaluated
Projects vary widely, and that variety is part of what makes this work interesting. Some examples of industries where evaluators are needed:
- Retail and franchises — customer-facing stores, chains with multiple locations
- Food service — restaurants, cafés, fast food locations
- Gas stations — pump service, convenience store, CNG/NGV fueling
- Auto repair shops — service for personal vehicles, and in some projects, shops specializing in trucks
- Auto dealerships — sales process, showroom service
- Hotels — from check-in through room service, when the project requires it
- Healthcare — front desk and appointment scheduling at clinics and medical centers
Each industry has its own evaluation criteria, and some projects require a specific evaluator profile (for example, a certain age range, gender, area of residence, or technical knowledge of the industry), depending on what the contracting business needs.
How evaluators are selected
Not everyone who applies gets automatically approved to do visits. Each project defines a specific profile based on what the contracting business needs, and selection happens according to those criteria, not at random.
For projects that run over time or require more depth, such as evaluations in technical industries, complex sales processes, or brand standards audits, selected evaluators go through remote training before starting. That covers the specific criteria for that project, how to fill out the report correctly, and what evidence is expected from each visit.
This process exists so that the results the contracting business receives are consistent across evaluators and reliable as a basis for decisions, rather than a series of loose observations depending on each person's individual judgment.
How coverage works by country
In Argentina, Chile, Peru, and Brazil, we work with direct clients, with our own projects across different regions, and new openings come up constantly depending on demand in each area.
In other countries in the region, we work alongside specialized partner companies. Even if we don't have direct operations in your country, you can still leave your information: we forward it to the corresponding company so they can evaluate your profile against their available projects.
Keep in mind that not every applicant gets contacted right away, and that doesn't mean the profile wasn't a good fit. Most of the time it's because there isn't an active project in the applicant's area at that moment, or the available project requires a different specific profile. If there's no immediate opportunity, we keep personal information on file for up to a year, and reach out as soon as a project comes up that matches your profile and location.
FAQ
Do I need previous experience to be a mystery shopper?
No, most projects don't require previous experience. What matters is observation skills, clear writing for filling out reports, and reliability in meeting the timing and criteria for each visit.
How is it decided who evaluates each business?
Each project has a profile defined by the business commissioning the audit, and evaluators are selected based on that profile. For longer or more complex projects, there's also remote training beforehand.
Do I have to pay anything to apply?
No. Applying and registering are always free. Payment always flows from the business to the evaluator, never the other way around.
What happens if there are no projects available in my city when I apply?
Your information stays on file for up to a year, and we reach out as soon as a project comes up that matches your area and profile. New projects are constantly being added across different regions and industries.
