What are shopper qualifications?


Shopper qualifications are credentials that are required to claim shops on Presto projects.  Presto's shopper qualification system is flexible and allows you to create qualification that are based on:

  • A test to demonstrate knowledge of shop requirements
  • Obtaining a third-party certification such as a background check or license
  • Successful completion of a phone interview
  • Producing a document to verify a shopper's age or other characteristics

...or anything else you want.  


How do shopper qualifications work?


Every shop that is claimed from the Presto map is part of a batch.    When you want to require shoppers to have one or more qualifications in order to claim shops for one of your projects, you would add a qualification to the batch or batches for that project.   Once a qualification has been added, the process of claiming a shop is as follows:

  1. The shopper clicks on a pin for a shop in the batch.
  2. Presto checks to see if the batch has any qualifications associated with it.
  3. If there are qualifications, Presto checks to see if the shopper already has the qualification(s).
    1. If the shopper has the qualifications, they can claim the shop.
    2. If the shopper does not have the qualification, they are presented with information on how to qualify.


Shopper qualifications are configured and added to batches by Presto Support.  For more information on setting up a qualification for your project, contact Presto Support at [email protected].


How do shoppers get qualifications?


There are two types of qualifications, manual and automatic.  The process for getting qualified depends on the type of qualification.


Manual qualifications are those that require a member of the mystery shopping company's staff to make a decision on whether the shopper should be granted the qualification.  Examples include:

  • Uploading a photo ID that shows the shopper's age (for compliance shops).  


  • Passing a background check.


  • Passing a phone interview.


With all manual qualifications, a member of the mystery shopping company's staff decides if the shopper should be granted the qualification, and manually grants it.  Manual qualifications can also be revoked.


Manual qualifications are configured by Presto Support and administered by mystery shopping company staff members.  If you wish to create a manual qualification, consider which staff members should be granted the permission to grant and revoke the qualification, and make sure that they have a Presto account.


Until the qualification has been granted, the shopper will be unable to complete the shop.   If you are using manual qualifications, make sure to contact shoppers after you have granted the qualification to let them know that they are now eligible to shop.


Automatic qualifications are qualifications that are based on the shopper's successfully completing a quiz on the shop requirements.  This quiz is implemented as a Presto survey consisting solely of single-select score questions.  The subject of the quiz should be based on the guidelines that you have made available to shoppers.  When a shopper passes the quiz with the minimum required score, they are automatically granted the qualification and can claim shops immediately.  You may also specify the maximum number of attempts that the shopper is allowed to pass the quiz (by default, there is no limit).


The automatic qualification process begins when the shopper clicks on a shop that is in a batch with an automatic qualification.  Instead of being able to claim the shop, the shopper sees a message like this:



After downloading and reading the guidelines, the shopper clicks the link and is taken to the quiz:



If the shopper successfully completes the quiz and achieves the minimum passing score, they see a message like the one below.  Clicking the button will return the shopper to the original shop that they have clicked on (if it is still available), so that they can claim the shop.




Setting up a qualification


To set up a manual qualification, contact Presto Support at [email protected] with the following information:


  • The text that the shopper will see when the click on the map pin (known as the "how to qualify" text).  This should include an explanation of the process and an expectation of how long it will take for the shopper's application to be considered.  See above for examples.
  • The batch(es) that you want to require the qualification.
  • The email addresses of staff members who will be authorized to grant or revoke this qualification.  These users must have Presto accounts with verified email addresses.  
  • The URL for any links that are included in the "how to qualify" text (for example, link to background check site).


If the manual qualification is for a photo upload, Presto Support will provide the link.


Once the manual qualification has been set up, your staff will use the QualGranter (https://insta.prestomobilesurveys.com/site/QualGranter) and QualRevoker (https://insta.prestomobilesurveys.com/site/QualRevoker) pages to grant the qualification to shoppers, or revoke it as needed.




To set up an automatic qualification, follow these steps:


  1. Create the qualification quiz as a Presto survey.  This survey must consist solely of single-select scored questions and be based on information that is available to prospective shoppers in the form of shop guidelines.

    For billing purposes, we suggest creating a separate company for your qualification quizzes, separate from any client company.  If you create a qualification quiz on the same client company as your project, you will be billed for the quiz "shops".

  2. Contact Presto Support with the following information:
    1. The survey ID of the qualification quiz.
    2. The passing percentage.
    3. The maximum number of attempts to pass the quiz (default: unlimited).
    4. The "how to qualify" text that you want to see as a prequalification notice.  This should include a reference to the guidelines including URL.
    5. The batch(es) that you want to require the qualification.