Mystery Shopping Soars to $600m

The US mystery shopping industry grew to nearly $600 million in 2004, as the number of mystery shops increased by 12.2% to 8.1 million. These figures come from the US Mystery Shopping Providers Association's first attempt to quantify the industry.

Companies surveyed for the Mystery Shopping Market Size report experienced an average growth of 11.1% between 2003 and 2004.

According to the report, the retail industry accounted for 16.8% of total mystery shopping revenue in 2004, followed by banking and finance (14.2%) and fast food (14%).

The MSPA says that more than half the mystery shopping executives surveyed at its 2005 annual conference predict further growth of 5 to 15% next year.

Speaking of the findings, John Swinburn, MSPA Executive Director, says: 'Almost everyone involved in the mystery shopping industry has experienced tremendous growth in recent years. The results outline exactly what we expected - a large and growing industry with exciting prospects for the future.'

The research for the report was conducted by Ohio-based Industry Insights (www.indins.com ), which specialises in research for trade and professional associations. The MPSA is online at www.mysteryshop.org.

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.