Welcome to part two of my mystery shopping theme. Over three posts I will introduce you to the main ways to earn money via mystery shopping; traditional, online and app. Last week I posted about traditional mystery shopping, you can find that post here.

I don’t include any of my mystery shopping earnings in this challenge as I class them as income but they are a great way to earn some extra money.

What is online mystery shopping?

Online mystery shopping has the same concept as traditional mystery shopping apart from having to visit the premises. The company/business/brand will want shoppers to use their website, everything from the navigation and search function to customer service and returns. The mystery shopping company assign shoppers with specific tasks to carry out and pay according to the work involved. Examples of tasks are checking how the mobile version of a site functions, or an app. You may be asked to contact customer services via phone, email and/or live chat and evaluate the service given. Very often you will be requested to buy something from the website so you can evaluate their purchasing process and even asked to return the item.

In most cases you are paid a set fee no matter what level task you are asked to carry out, then if a purchase is needed you are given an allowance; from personal experience you are paid that allowance no matter how much you spend, then if you have to return the item you are paid an additional fee to cover the return.

How do I find online mystery shopping work?

There are a couple of good companies to get in with online, the first being EDigital Research. This is where I get all my online mystery shopping work from and recommend them highly. Another place that can dish out some online work is ESA Retail, I’ve not signed up to this company yet but it comes recommended by Jon from The Money Shed.

How much can you earn with online mystery shopping?

Like I said in the last post, it can vary from a few pounds to a few £1000 a month depending on the work available. In December I managed to earn myself a nice sum of just over £100 from EDigital Research and so did a few others I know; I also came out with 3 new pairs of knickers, a Christmas present and a decoration for my tree. If I had an iPhone is could of been a lot more too.

Online work is the biggest one I earn from when it comes to mystery shopping, which is why I don’t include it in my challenge. My next post will cover app work which is a big earner for some people I know.

As with anything I post about, if you have questions or comments then please feel free to ask. I hope this has given you a little more insight into online mystery shopping.