Mystery shopping in retail

«Loyal Customers, they don’t just come back, they don’t simply recommend you, they insist that their friends do business with you: Chip Bell»

If you think your business needs more customers to make more profit, you are mistaken. All you need is your customers to return. There are a huge amount of factors which influence the customer’s behavior and attitude to your brand.

Want to know about the role Mystery shopping (hereafter abbreviated as MS) plays in influencing your customer’s loyalty?
Let us give you a list of 5 reasons why your retail business needs mystery shopping.

We use «retail audit» as the marketing research tool to ensure that outlets comply with the operating standards of the sector. These standards can include those set for the design of trading places, the placement of POS-materials, employee dress code, their merchandising and the interior/exterior/outlet layout. So what are the benefits of such kind of investigations?

1. They give you feedback about staff attitude and presentation
   Each company creates a list of specific standards to build clear brand awareness and reputation among their customers. Our mystery shoppers visit stores and outlets to examine your point of sale and the level of customer service. They identify and report on whether the team has been successful in creating the perfect sales experience.
2. It increases profitability
   How? After the mystery shopping audit, you receive the full picture of how your products are represented in your shops – so you may see your business from the other side – the eyes of your customers. It allows you to uncover some blind spots, which have formed during the work of your staff.
   You may also collect the individual specifics from each region all over the country, store or even individual employee.
3. Observe facility conditions from the customer side
   Is the store clean and tidy? Is the best-selling promotional table empty the day right before Black Friday because the sales agent had no opportunity to set it up? Is the store format set up as directed by headquarters? Mystery shopping programs are tied in with responding to these kinds of inquiries, explicitly concerned with issues that retail businesses deal with.
4. Benchmark competitors
   “If you aren’t taking care of your customers, your competition will”
   Competition in the retail industry is fierce. Knowing how competitors are performing, what they are doing, how they behave towards customers, or how their store layout works can help you find out where you stand and can help you improve!
5. Improved Customer Retention
   Each and every retail mystery shopping aspect is advantageous and leads to customer retention. Each improvement you make in your business because of the noteworthy bits of knowledge picked up from a mystery shopping program lead to better customers management. It will encourage customers to choose your organization over competitors every single time.

Still consider mystery shopping being too subjective? Mystery shopping is all about data: strong inquiries, prepared mystery shoppers, and strong answers for creating memorable experiences. These insights then form the basis for your business’ next move forward.

So Mystery Shopping is a research tool that helps your retail brand find out how to retain customers. It allows you to see your business from your customer’s perspective and to make an impact on the quality of service, profitability, and brand awareness.