Mystery Shopping

Teachers

Included in study programs

Teaching results

By completing the course, students will gain knowledge about the essence of the research method - mystery shopping. They will get acquainted with the forms and process of mystery shopping, as well as the modern form of mystery shopping in the online environment. Graduates will gain knowledge about the possibilities of processing the results of mystery shopping, creative creation of a mystery story and a record sheet.
The successful graduate will be able to carry out mystery shopping for the needs of obtaining data and information that can serve as a basis for improving market position. They will learn to participate in all parts of the mystery shopping process. A successful graduate is competent to comprehensively create as well as implement and evaluate the research method in question. Emphasis is placed on the application nature and implementation in practice.
Graduates of the course will acquire competencies that allow them to apply in the field of marketing, market research, business, but also in managerial positions. Mystery shopping as a research method is a multidisciplinary tool, the knowledge of which increases the competencies of each graduate.

Indicative content

Theoretical basis of mystery shopping. Forms of mystery shopping. The process of mystery shopping. Implementation of mystery shopping in online conditions. Implementation of mystery shopping in a selected stone shop. Evaluation and presentation of a report from mystery shopping. Evaluation of mystery shopping. Determining the advantages and disadvantages of the research method in question.

Support literature

1. ČVIRIK, Marián. Mystery shopping. Bratislava: Vydavateľstvo EKONÓM, 2023, 96s. ISBN 978-80-225-5059-8.
2. ČVIRIK, Marián. Mystery Shopping - Knowledge Search. Ekonomika cestovného ruchu a podnikanie: vedecký časopis Obchodnej fakulty Ekonomickej univerzity v Bratislave. Bratislava: Katedra služieb a cestovného ruchu OBF EU, 2020, 12(2), 6-14. ISSN 2453-9988.
3. MIZIK, Natalie and HANSSENS, Dominique M. Handbook of Marketing Analytics. Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, 2018, 713 p. ISBN 978-1-78471-675-2.
4. TAHAL, Radek a kolektív. Marketingový výzkum Postupy, metody, trendy. Grada, 2022, 296 p. ISBN 9788027135356.

Syllabus

1. Introduction to mystery shopping. Origin and development of mystery shopping. 2. Mystery shopper. 3. Mystery shopping as a research tool. 4. Forms of mystery shopping. 5. The process of mystery shopping. 6. Mystery shopping in an online environment. 7. Preparation of the evaluation sheet. 8. Ethics in the conditions of mystery shopping. 9. Mystery story. Scenario preparation. 10. Mystery shopping data processing. 11. Tools for evaluating mystery shopping. 12. Solution of case studies from the issue of mystery shopping. 13. Presentations of mystery shopping results. Evaluation of strengths and weaknesses.

Requirements to complete the course

40% semester work
60% written exam

Student workload

Workload: 104 hours
Attendance at seminars: 26 hours
Preparation for seminars: 20 hours
Elaboration of a semester project: 40 hours
Preparation for the exam: 18 hours

Language whose command is required to complete the course

Slovak

Date of approval: 23.02.2023

Date of the latest change: 17.10.2023