Company Overview: It is common for mystery shoppers to be open to alternative earning opportunities such as those involved with merchandising, exit interviews, audits, and more. There are also options that don’t fit nicely into any category listed here that are fairly easy and pay reasonably. One mystery company specializes in such information-gathering assignments.
Mintel Group was established in 1972 in London to complete food and drink research in the United Kingdom. Since then, it has become an international presence. In 1998 it opened offices in Chicago, Illinois. Afterward, it created business locations in Sydney, Shanghai, and Tokyo.
Its research services are involved in diverse industries such as leisure, consumer goods, beauty, retail, and financial services. Mintel advertises some of its clients on its website.
Visit https://shopper.mintel.com to sign up. Click “Create An Account”. Input your email address and click “Start Application”. The registration process is straightforward.
Mintel does not use any of the typical software platforms used in the mystery shopping industry such as Sassie or Prophet or Shopmetrics. However, unlike many MSCs that have created their own website systems that tend to be awkward and/or not user-friendly, Mintel’s website is clean and easy to navigate.
After signing up, an email will be sent with a link. Clink on the link to confirm your account and to sign in.
Assignments are self-awarded on the Mintel job board. There are also opportunities on the home page for special projects, many of which are long-term.
After completing an assignment, this MSC is one of the few that requires shoppers to submit invoices for their expenses.
Payment is made either by direct deposit or by check. Their website does not clearly state their payment terms. This is the only information provided by Mintel: “Processing of payments will take up to 5 business days from the date it says ‘Processed’. Please wait 2 weeks before inquiring about payments by check and 1 week before inquiring about payments by direct deposit.”
Regardless of the specifics of Mintel’s payment policies, forum members on www.mysteryshopforum.com are in full agreement that payments are made quickly and reliably. They also state that fees are fair and in line with the work required for assignments.
There are no legitimate complaints about this MSC. Rather, quite the opposite. Mintel shows up on discussions of favorite companies time and time again. Shoppers have posted that they very much enjoy working with this company. In comparison to a lot of other mystery shopping companies, shoppers rave about Mintel.
Interactions with Mintel staff members have been described as responsive, helpful, flexible, and reasonable.
Some of the unique variety of assignments that forum members have completed include menu board audits, shipping, reviewing billboard and bus shelter ads, reporting on credit card statements, and purchasing products. These are purported to be easy, straightforward, and interesting. As stated before, these are more geared towards information-gathering than being a typical type of mystery shop assignment.
The reports have been described as short, simple, and not tedious.
Personal Experience: I have been signed up with Mintel, but have yet to see assignment opportunities in my area.