Market Force is one of the largest mystery shopping companies in the world. They came to prominence last decade after purchasing several mystery shopping companies, and making quick inroads into the industry.
Market Force considers mystery shopping “Market Research” and pay shoppers as an independent contractors. You are paid to visit and interact with the associates as if you were a customer. You then report back your experience in a timely manner. Mystery shoppers for Market Force visit many types of stores, including restaurants, banks and cell phone companies, as well as perform audits and theater checks.
How to Sign Up: It’s free to sign up for Market Force. To sign up go to http://www.marketforce.com/
Payment methods and times Shoppers are paid monthly, usually by the 10th of the month. Shoppers can go with Direct Deposit and get their money by the 10th. Paper checks are sent a week later.
Getting Assignments: The portal for getting assignments is called WebFC. This is where shoppers go to find potential shops and self-assign them if able. The WebFC operates 24/7 and potential assignments can show up at any time. There are times when jobs disappear off the boards suddenly. This usually happens because:
- Another shopper and/or many others shoppers are grabbing the assignments in broader area, taking them off the boards quickly, or
- You have met your quota for that particular client/for that time frame and you will not be able to see any further assignments until the next round comes up.
Personal Experience: I like the fast food and quick casual restaurants, cell phone shops, sit down restaurants, photo audits-of any kind, big box store shopping, new and exciting shops, and out of town routes. There always seems to be a large selection of shops on the board. There are times when it dwindles down some in certain parts of the month but there always seems to be something to grab on there.
What Others Have to Say: Market Force occasionally attracts negative comments from shoppers on Mystery Shop Forum. They have a reputation for deactivating shopper accounts without explanation. Shoppers also have many positive things to say about them. Because they are such a large company, they are very widely discussed, with many happy and disgruntled shoppers participating in those discussions. They are the most widely discussed company on Mystery Shop Forum, by a large margin. More recently, there have been recent numerous reports of issues with their new website being “slow.”
Conclusion: It is worth any mystery shoppers time to register with Market Force. They have a wide variety of assignments in nearly every part of the country. Despite their sometimes contentious reputation, experienced shoppers continue to work with, and recommend, Market Force as a source of mystery shopping work.