Welcome to The Realise Group
Shopper Noticeboard
All our mystery shopping projects are now found in your New Realise Online dashboard: www.realiseonline.com - with exception of one or two projects only (which will be coming over soon!).
Index
Terminology in New Realise Online
Shopper FAQs - About Mystery Shopping
Shopper FAQs - Mystery Shopper Payment
Shopper FAQs - Shopper Login
Terminology in new Realise Online
Many of our shoppers have migrated here with us from our previous system. So to make life easier we’ve created this table with some important terminology from the new Realise Online system to help you along until you get the hang of it.
| What it’s called | What it means |
|---|---|
| Shop | The mystery shops you apply for are called a “Shop”. |
| Shop Survey | Shop survey is the questionnaire / survey form which you can “View”, to print a copy out before you complete your shop. It is also where you “Submit” by entering your evaluation when you have completed the shop. |
| Evaluation | Evaluation is your survey results, or your filled in questionnaire when the shop is complete. If we refer to your evaluation, this is your completed shop results which you have submitted online. |
| Shop Log | This is main landing page when you are signed to the new Realise Online. You can come back here any time by clicking the ‘Shop Log’ menu. This will show all your Shops:
|
| View/Submit | This is where you can ‘View’ the shop survey form to read all the questions, and where you can submit your survey evaluation. It is extremely important that you read AND print this survey form to familiarise yourself with the questions you will be required to accurately answer. Click on ‘Printer-friendly version of this form’ to actually print this survey form, which you can take with you (although keep it discreetly hidden away during your shop/interaction). When you have completed your shop visit, come back to your Shop Log and click on ‘View/Submit’ again, this time to submit and complete your survey evaluation online. |
| Guidelines | This is the new word to describe the mystery shop project ‘Brief’. Once the shop appears in your Shop Log, you will see a link to the ‘Guidelines’. Click this to download the guidelines (brief) to read the specific details you will need to know before completing your shop. This ‘Guidelines’ document is also available from the ‘View/Submit’ survey view online. |
| Comments | On your Shop Log beside each shop you will see a link to ‘Comments’. This contains vital details about your shop including: enquiry/scenario, purchase required, timing and/or other specific details about each shop. Please ensure you read this every time (as they may be different) and follow these comments carefully. This information is also available at the top of your ‘View/Submit’ survey view. |
| Oops! | You will find that if you have not completed any part of the survey correctly, and you try to submit the evaluation, an error message will come up showing a number of ‘Oops!’ (or errors) which have been found. You will need to correct these before you can submit your survey evaluation. Once you correct them all, you can submit your survey evaluation to us. |
| My Profile | This menu contains your account details including name, address, phone, email and postcodes where you are happy to shop (which will be used by our team at times to contact you if we have a shop nearby). Please ensure your profile is always kept up to date, thank you! |
| Extended Shopper Profile | This is extra questions which will help us determine which shops you are eligible for or interested in. You must update your Extended profile to be able to Apply for shops. |
| My Apps | Your Apps menu will show a list of shops you have applied for. They will appear here temporarily, until either the shop is assigned to you (in which case it will appear under your Shop Log once you have been accepted), or until the shop is given to another shopper in which case it will be removed from your account. |
| Job Board | Once you log in to the new Realise Online, you can click on the ‘Job Board’ menu to search for shops/jobs that are available, which you can Apply for. |
| Job Board Posting email | This replaces Job Notification email and Expression emails. It is notifying you when we have released a new set of jobs to the “Job Board”, which you can Apply for. Often this will be ‘first in best dressed’ so watch for these emails so you don’t miss out. |
| Scheduler | Moving forward, your State Co-ordinators will be called “State Schedulers”. |
| Reviewer | Reviewers are members of our team who review the shop evaluations submitted by shoppers. They may contact shoppers directly if there are any queries about the shopper’s shop evaluation (survey). |
| GeoVerify | GeoVerify is a free App which is separate to The Realise Group, but which can provide you with a code on-site when you visit a store, which when entered into your evaluation form for The Realise Group shops will give us verification of your location/date/time at the moment you used the app (when you completed the shop). This is optional at this time, but we do encourage shoppers to download this App, and use it to provide a GeoVerify code for as many shops as you possibly can. In future more clients will require this, so get in the habit from now and you’ll be eligible for more shopping opportunities in future. More info can be found about GeoVerify in the FAQs section below. |
Shopper FAQ’s
About Mystery Shopping
1. What do I need to know about being a mystery shopper?
You must have email, easy access to the internet and you need to be contactable. Shops are made available on the Job Board as they become available in your area.
Shoppers are employed as contractors and as such must meet tax requirements.
If you live in Australia this means you must provide either an Australian Business Number (ABN) or complete a Statement by Supplier form from the ATO https://www.ato.gov.au/forms-and-instructions/statement-by-supplier-not-quoting-an-abn
No tax information is required for New Zealand shoppers.
2. Is there a minimum age to join and become a mystery shopper?
Yes, shoppers must be over 18 years old to join.
3. What skills do I need to be a mystery shopper?
To be a great mystery shopper you need to be able to:
- follow guidelines and instructions and perform evaluations accurately
- make discreet and objective observations
- remember the details of your experience easily
- pay close attention to detail
- write detailed, constructive and grammatically correct comments
- meet commitments and deadlines
- be easily contactable by email and phone
- use the internet proficiently
4. What equipment do I need to be a mystery shopper?
To become a mystery shopper you are required to have very regular access to internet, email and a printer, as well as a car. All shops are applied for and assigned online and email notifications and reminders will be sent to you, so internet access is essential. You will need to be able to print out your survey form and any guidelines before you complete the shop so a printer is required. Once you have completed the shop, you will need to submit the evaluation into the survey form online by logging in to your shopper account.
5. How much work can I expect as a mystery shopper?
We cannot guarantee the number of shops available in your area. However more work may be available to shoppers who are in more populated areas, and to shoppers who are more reliable. Some shoppers may complete 10 shops or more in a month, other shoppers may complete as few as 1 shop per month (or even less). Shoppers should not rely on mystery shopping as a main source of income.
6. How long do assignments take to complete?
Some shops may only take 2-3 minutes to complete inside the store, however you also need to consider the time taken to read the instructions before completing the shop, and also the time to submit your evaluation into the survey online after you finish your shop. In total this may add another 10-20 minutes or more to an assignment.
On average, you should not need to spend more than 30-60 minutes on each shop assignment. Obviously the first time you do a shop for a particular project you may need to spend more time reading the guidelines and survey, but if you are taking on several shops for one project on a regular basis it should take you less time after the first time.
There could be other shop assignments which take an hour or even more (ie. enquiring about a complex product, such as a home loan or computer). We factor in the time required and complexity and pay accordingly.
7. Do I need to make a purchase?
Some assignments will require a purchase and others will not. This will be explained in the shop information before you agree to complete the shop. You will be instructed what the specific purchase is, and what the maximum reimbursement will be. Reimbursement is paid in addition to the payment for completing the shop.
On most occasions you will get to keep your purchase (and if it is a food item you will always get to keep and consume it)! Occasionally we may ask you to return the purchase either to the store, or to our head office.
8. Okay I’ve signed up, but how do I start seeing mystery shops?
Now that you’ve signed up to our online dashboard here: www.realiseonline.com you need to complete a few more steps before you are ready to shop.
Firstly you will need to fill in your personal details in our secure online form, and answer some Extended Shopper Profile questions to help ensure you can see jobs that are most suitable for you. All shoppers must also complete and pass the mystery shopper training test in order to complete your account setup. Once you’ve followed these steps your account will be activated. Then you can go to the Job Board page to see mystery shops available which you can apply for.
Happy Mystery Shopping!
Mystery Shopper Payment
9. What is the rate of pay for a mystery shopper?
You will be paid per shop assignment, not an hourly rate. The shop payment will be provided in the shop information on the Job Board page before you apply for shop. Payment will vary depending on the complexity of the survey form, how much time you are required to spend on the shop assignment, and whether you are required to make a purchase.
10. Am I an employee or an independent contractor?
As a mystery shopper, you will work for The Realise Group as an independent contractor. This means that you are not an employee of The Realise Group, and will not be paid holiday pay, sick leave, superannuation, workers compensation, or other employee entitlements. The rate of pay offered for the shop assignment is the full payment that you will receive (if required to make a purchase you will be reimbursed for the cost of the purchase on top of your payment). You are expected to cover all costs associated with you completing the mystery shop, including stationery, travel expenses etc.
11. What tax issues do I need to consider?
As you are a mystery shopping contractor and not an employee, an annual Statement of Earnings or Group Certificate is not provided at the end of the financial year. As a contractor, it is your responsibility to keep records of all shops you carry out for The Realise Group. You will have access to view completed shops in your Shop Log. Many mystery shoppers also use a spreadsheet in excel to keep track of their earnings.
12. What information is required from me in order to be paid?
On your My Profile page you will be asked to provide your bank account details for EFT payments. This is a secure form and your details will be kept encrypted and only accessible by our accounts team for the purposes of processing your payments. Australian shoppers will also be required to provide either an ABN number or Statement by Supplier form. Make your selection and fill these details in on your My Profile page. Go to your Extended Shopper Profile to upload your completed Statement by Supplier form if that is what you choose to provide.
Australian Shoppers must complete:
- Bank account details
- ABN or Statement by Supplier (SBS) form
New Zealand Shoppers must complete:
- Bank account details only
- Please still fill in prompts as required for NZ shoppers on the ABN/ Statement by Supplier sections, so these are not left blank. Thank you.
Once we receive these details, we can pay you for shops you complete with us!
13. How and when will I be paid?
Your payment for successfully completed shops will be made directly into your nominated bank account within 2-3 weeks of the month following your assignment.
Eg. If you complete an assignment any time in April, you can expect payment will be made by the 2nd or 3rd week in May.
14. Can I see my mystery shop payments?
Yes, now you can view your shopper pay per shop and confirm when the payment has been processed. When signed in to your shopper page, go to Shop Log and you will be able to filter your Finished status shops to view payment details. You can still see the shop payment info on Active shops, but Finished lets you see the status after the shops are shopped and finalised, so you will always have access to your shop history.
Shopper Login
15. Where will I be able to find out what mystery shop jobs are available?
Jobs will be made available to our shoppers by one of the following methods:
We will usually email shoppers to advise when jobs are made available on the Job Board which you can access from your shopper log in page.
Most jobs available on the Job Board will be available for you to Apply for if you qualify. We will email you if your application is successful so you can shop.
Note: In rare cases you may be given the opportunity to Self Assign yourself shops you are qualified for. This means if you are interested in the shop, you will be able to click Self Assign and the shop is immediately yours to complete.
16. I tried to apply for a shop, but I got a "Page not found" error when I tried to apply for a shop.
Some email programs break up long internet addresses across two lines. In this case, clicking on the link will not bring you to the correct location. Copy the ENTIRE link and paste it into your browser to make the link work.
17. I am trying to fill out a long survey form, need to take a break, and don't want to lose my work, what should I do?
If you're filling out a particularly long shopper survey and want to save your work, simply click on the Save Shop for Later button, then return to your survey when you're ready to continue filling out questions.
18. How do I stop/resume receiving emails?
You can turn off email notifications by going to My Profile from your Shopper Log, then click the Change link in the Account Status row. Now click the Do Not Email Shop Offers radio button. You can still apply for jobs through the Job Board, you just won't receive email notifications of new jobs.
You can resume receiving email notifications by repeating the same steps, just unclicking the radio button.
19. What do I do if I've forgotten my password?
No problem! Simply enter the email address you signed up with, then click the Email Me My Password button. Your password will be emailed to you.
20. How do I change my email address?
Click on the My Profile icon in the top menu bar on the Shopper Log page, then scroll down to Basic Account Information. Here you can change not only your email address, but any other way we can contact you plus personal information.
21. Who do I email or call for assistance?
Please contact the State Scheduler that looks after your state, also known as the scheduler of mystery shops. We prefer to be contacted via email, and will do our best to respond to your email as soon as possible. If the matter is urgent you can email your State Scheduler for assistance.
22. What is GeoVerify App?
GeoVerify is an App that we would like shoppers to use, but is not compulsory at this time. If you have an iOS or Android device you can download this FREE app and if we ask for a GeoVerify code in a survey, you are required to sign in to the App while you are at your shop location, and collect a code on the date/time of your shop. The code gets entered into survey form. We will accept responses without the GeoVerify code for now, but if you can provide it you may be given more shop opportunities in future.
Click on this link directly in your phone/device to download the GeoVerify App directly from the App Store or Google Play store:
Click here to download GeoVerify on iOS
Click here to download GeoVerify on Android
23. What is MSPA Certification and do I need it?
You may have seen a question on your profile asking if you have MSPA Certification. Don’t worry, this is not compulsory and answering no will not impact the work you receive in any way. MSPA Certification is a certification that you can obtain as a shopper which basically is a way of increasing industry standards by ensuring that shoppers (and the industry as a whole) has basic knowledge of how to carry out mystery shopping assignments.
If you’re interested in getting certified then follow this link:
http://www.mspa-ap.org/en/ap-certification.html
24. I no longer mystery shop, how do I deactivate my shopper account?
Sign in to your shopper log in page, go to My Profile and click the Change link in the Account Status row. Then choose the Deactive radio button. You can reactivate yourself at any time by logging in, going to your My Profile page and selecting the Active radio button.
25. What if I have further questions?
If you have any further questions about becoming a mystery shopper for The Realise Group you are welcome to contact us directly:
Email: realise@therealisegroup.com.au
Facebook page: www.facebook.com/therealisegroup
Phone: (03)9687-2360
New Zealand shoppers call +61 3 9687 2360.
More FAQs can be found on our main website:
http://therealisegroup.com.au/mystery-shopper-faqs