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Statistics
The mystery shopping industry had an estimated value of nearly $600
million in the United States in 2004, according to a 2005 report
commissioned by the Mystery Shopping Providers Association (MSPA).
Companies that participated in the report experienced an average
growth of 11.1 percent from 2003 to 2004, compared to an average
growth of 12.2 percent. The report estimates more than 8.1 million
mystery shops were conducted in 2004. The report represents the
first industry association attempt to quantify the size of the
mystery shopping industry. Similar surveys are available for
European regions where mystery shopping is becoming more embedded
into company procedures.[3]
As a measure of its importance, customer/patient satisfaction is
being incorporated more frequently into executive pay. A study by a
U.S. firm found more than 55% of hospital chief executive officers
surveyed in 2005 had "some compensation at risk," based on patient
satisfaction, up from only 8% to 20% a dozen years ago."[4]
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) ran a segment on this
topic during a January 2001 episode of the news magazine program
"Marketplace".[5]
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