[01] Olufemi Olumayowa Oni, National Agency for Science and Engineering Infrastructure, Procurement Department (PD), Abuja, Nigeria. [02] Olusegun Opeyemi Oni, Agricultural and Rural Management Training Institute (ARMTI), Agricultural Department Management (ADEM), Ilorin, Kwara State, Nigeria. [03] Tolulope Modupe Oni, First Bank of Nigeria ltd, Banking Services Department (BSD), 35 Marina Lagos, Nigeria.

Mystery shopping is a marketing research tool often used to gather unbiased information for the evaluation of service quality to customers by the management of business organizations. This study therefore, examined the adoption of Mystery Shopping (MS) as a tool for the evaluation of service quality in the Nigerian Deposit Money Banks (DMBs). A survey technique through the use of a well-structured questionnaire was adopted using percentages and spearman rank correlation analysis. The results show that mystery shopping tool is used in Nigerian banks and that the application is associated with stress and anxiety for the employees. However, bank employees still considered the experience as being motivational. The result also revealed that mystery shopping has a significant relationship with quality service delivery in Nigerian Deposit Money Banks (DMBs). The study therefore recommends among others that since mystery shopping is one way of gathering service quality information, it should be used alongside other intelligence gathering methods such as complaints analyses and satisfaction surveys so as to allow factually based management decision-making.

Mystery Shopping Tool, Nigerian Deposit Money Banks, Quality Service Delivery, Performance Appraisal

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