Secret shopping is not just shopping the shopper gathers data about the consumer (Shopper) experience.

Any company can use secret shopping to understand their clients and or customers’ experiences, however, it’s often practiced in retail and within 

the restaurant and food industry to assess employee interactions with customers and the general process of purchasing from them. 

Companies value this service because it can help with retention, reputation, and more sales from happy customers. 

Secret shopping is usually conducted by a third-party vendor or agency who hires mystery shoppers and gives them assignments, so both the employers and employees in the business being tested are unaware of who the mystery shopper might be.