Reality Based Group

What Reality Based Group does

Reality Based Group (RBG), founded in 1992 in Houston, Texas by Joe Woskow and now headquartered in Austin, is a customer experience measurement firm that pioneered video-based mystery shopping under its original GameFilm brand. The company operates a gig-style evaluation workforce of 280,000+ active mystery shoppers and 180,000+ auditors across all 50 US states and Canada, providing third-party, objective visibility into frontline customer interactions for multi-location enterprises and franchise systems. RBG runs a four-step closed-loop methodology (Design, Evaluate, Report, Coach) intended to convert frontline observations into specific behavior change and measurable ROI.

The product portfolio is anchored by GameFilm®, a registered trademark covering the company's signature covert video mystery shopping solution, and extends into written mystery shopping (Mystery Shopping Plus), telephone mystery shopping (Real Calls™), competitive pricing and facility audits (Real Check™), customer satisfaction surveys deployed via receipt, email, or direct mail (Real Feedback™), Virtual Reality-based customer service training, gamified coaching and digital coaching programs, and GamePlan, a management accountability workflow tool. The Shoppers' Critique International (SCI) division focuses on automotive accounts, including a nine-year Lexus engagement. Clients access results through 24/7 online dashboards with real-time notifications.

RBG generates revenue primarily through professional services engagements priced per mystery shopping assignment, with shoppers reimbursed for purchases plus service fees and quotes customized by shop type, complexity, and geography. The firm sells through a direct sales-led motion targeting enterprise clients via competitive RFPs and an inside sales team handling inbound inquiries. Documented enterprise customers span auto (BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Ferrari, Bridgestone Firestone), retail (Amazon, Nike, Under Armour, Lowe's, Whole Foods, California Closets, Rent-a-Center, Bristol Farms), QSR and restaurants (Starbucks, Pizza Hut, Chick-fil-A, Texas Roadhouse, Blaze Pizza, Cinnabon, Taco John's, Wetzel's Pretzels), hospitality and other services (Four Seasons, New York Yankees, Gold's Gym, Chartway, Allstate, 7-Eleven). The company holds a BBB A+ rating, is a founding member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association, and is privately held with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Reality Based Group

Legal name

Reality Based Group

Website

https://realitybasedgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Reality Based Group, founded in 1992 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, pioneered video mystery shopping and operates a network of 280,000+ shoppers across the US and Canada. It provides customer experience evaluation, audits, surveys, and training to enterprise and franchise clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Customer Experience / Mystery Shopping Services

NAICS

Hobby, Toy, and Game Retailers (459120)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital/Hybrid Board Games & Companion-App Enabled Games Retail (CRALALAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

VR Headsets & Accessories Retail (CRACAFAE)

Keywords

• Mystery shopping services
• Video mystery shopping
• Customer experience evaluation
• Retail audit services
• CX training programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Austin

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Mystery Shopping Services: Core revenue stream from providing mystery shopping programs including video mystery shopping (GameFilm®), written mystery shopping, phone mystery shopping, and virtual reality training. Services are priced per shop assignment with shoppers reimbursed for purchases plus fees.
2. Training and Coaching Programs: Customized training programs focused on results including gamified training and 1-on-1 live coaching sessions to help businesses improve customer experience based on mystery shopping findings.
3. Audits and Assessments: Competitive pricing audits, facility condition assessments, merchandising audits, inventory audits, and manager audits through the Real Check™ program.
4. Customer Surveys: Real Feedback™ surveys deployed via phone, web, receipt, email, or direct mail providing customer satisfaction data and employee feedback collection.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Reality Based Group provides mystery shopping and customer experience evaluation services to multi-location enterprises and franchise businesses. Through its proprietary GameFilm® video mystery shopping technology and a network of 280,000+ mystery shoppers, RBG delivers objective third-party assessments of frontline staff performance, competitive pricing audits, customer satisfaction surveys, and customized training/coaching programs that translate evaluation data into improved CX outcomes.

Product overview

Reality Based Group operates as a tech-enabled mystery shopping and customer experience improvement firm offering a unified platform with multiple interconnected products. The core product suite includes GameFilm® (video mystery shopping), Mystery Shopping (video, online, written, phone programs), Virtual Reality training, Training programs, and Audits. The platform is complemented by specialized solutions including Real Check™ for competitive audits, Real Feedback™ for customer surveys, and Real Calls™ for telephone mystery shopping, along with GamePlan for management accountability. Additional offerings include Mystery Shopping Plus (written mystery shopping with expert scorecards) and Shoppers' Critique International (SCI) as a sub-brand division. The company also maintains a network of over 280,000 mystery shoppers who conduct evaluations across the United States and Canada, with the system delivering actionable data through 24/7 online dashboards with real-time notifications.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• GameFilm®: The company's proprietary video mystery shopping solution; the original and pioneering video mystery shopping technology that captures customer perspectives through video.
• Mystery Shopping+
• Real Check™
• Real Feedback™
• Real Calls™
• Shoppers' Critique International (SCI)

Products and services

• GameFilm® Video Mystery Shopping Pioneering video mystery shopping service that uses undercover video recording to capture actual customer interactions at client locations, providing clients with behavioral video evidence to assess service quality and protocol compliance.
• Mystery Shopping Programs Customized mystery shopping programs that include video, online, written, and phone evaluations conducted by professional undercover shoppers to provide objective observations of staff and operations.
• Real Check™ Audits and Assessments Tailored audits including competitive pricing audits, facility condition assessments, service inspections, merchandising audits, inventory audits, and manager audits conducted through a network of 180,000+ auditors.
• Real Feedback™ Customer Satisfaction Surveys Customer satisfaction survey solution providing actionable data on consumer and employee experience, deployed via phone, web, receipt, email, or direct mail with customizable questionnaire design.
• Real Calls™ Telephone Mystery Shopping Telephone mystery shopping service using trained telephone shoppers and call recording technology to assess phone interactions with customers and pinpoint improvements in first impressions and call handling.
• Virtual Reality Training First-person interactive VR training program that gamifies customer service training, transporting trainees into simulated retail environments for experiential learning.
• Training and Coaching Programs Customized gamified training, 1-on-1 live coaching sessions, and digital coaching that translate mystery shopping findings into specific employee behavior change.
• Competitive Web and Retail Audits Competitive web and retail analysis program that monitors competitor behaviors and pricing to inform client competitive positioning and pricing strategy.
• Shoppers' Critique International (SCI) Division of Reality Based Group managing mystery shopping programs, with a multi-year partnership serving Lexus and other automotive clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 3X return on each dollar spent for clients
• +12 more outcomes

Named customers27 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Blaze PizzacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 March 2026Reality Based Group announced a partnership with Blaze Pizza to deploy video mystery shopping technology across its franchise locations. The fast-growing pizza chain selected RBG after a competitive RFP process. Pilot locations reported nearly 50% increases in upsells. The partnership aims to provide franchisees with actionable coaching tools to improve frontline performance and drive revenue growth.
• Shoppers' Critique International (SCI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSCI is a division of Reality Based Group that manages mystery shopping programs for clients including Lexus. The division has maintained a nine-year partnership with Lexus providing actionable results through a user-friendly reporting system.
• MSPA (Mystery Shopping Providers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerReality Based Group is a founding member of the Mystery Shopping Providers Association. This membership provides access to gold and silver certified mystery shoppers worldwide and industry best practices.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Market Force Information: Market Force is a long-standing direct competitor offering mystery shopping, customer experience measurement, and brand integrity audits to multi-location enterprises. Both firms compete head-to-head in the same RFP processes for franchise and retail CX programs.
• A Closer Look: A Closer Look is a mystery shopping and customer experience research firm serving retail, restaurant, and financial services clients. It is a fellow MSPA member and competes with RBG in enterprise CX evaluation programs.
• Second To None: Second To None provides mystery shopping, customer experience measurement, and competitive intelligence services to multi-unit operators. It is a long-established MSPA member and a direct competitor to RBG in franchise and retail CX programs.
• SPAR Group: SPAR Group provides mystery shopping, merchandising, and retail audit services to multi-location brands. It directly overlaps with RBG's Real Check™ audits and written mystery shopping lines, particularly for retail and CPG clients.
• BestMark: BestMark is a national mystery shopping company serving retail, restaurant, hospitality, and automotive clients with in-person, phone, and online evaluations. It competes directly with RBG for the same enterprise and franchise accounts.
• Coyle Hospitality Group: Coyle Hospitality specializes in mystery shopping and CX evaluation for hotels, restaurants, and luxury hospitality brands - the same verticals where RBG serves Four Seasons, Starbucks, and Texas Roadhouse. Direct competitor in hospitality mystery shopping.
• IntelliShop: IntelliShop is a mystery shopping company offering in-person, video, online, and telephone shop programs for enterprise clients. It is a fellow MSPA member and competes directly with RBG for multi-location franchise and retail contracts.
• MaritzCX: MaritzCX is a customer experience research and mystery shopping provider serving automotive, retail, and hospitality verticals. It directly overlaps with RBG's core service lines including video, phone, and written mystery shopping plus coaching.

Broad incumbents

• Qualtrics: Qualtrics is an enterprise CX experience management platform that competes with RBG's Real Feedback™ survey product line and broader CX measurement services. It represents the broader, software-led incumbent threat to traditional mystery shopping.
• J.D. Power: J.D. Power is a broader customer experience research and analytics incumbent that serves automotive OEMs and dealers - directly overlapping with RBG's automotive mystery shopping work for BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, and Ferrari. It is a wider portfolio player rather than a pure-play mystery shop.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/rbgisreal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@RealityBasedGroup
• Facebookfacebook.com/rbgisreal
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/reality-based-group
• Instagraminstagram.com/realitybasedgroupinc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Reality Based Group