Mystery Shopping - A Worthwhile Investment for Retail Outlets

chillibreeze writer — Amanda Britto

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“What’s the latest range of footwear?”
“Uh-huh I like this design.”
“What would this be priced at?”
“But this looks a little old-fashioned”
“Could you show me all the latest designer brands?”

Such questions would not be uncommon in any purchase. And it is the same questions that would be used by a mystery shopper posing as a customer. The mystery shopper would also perhaps become irate and throw a fit in the departmental store or retail outlet for all to see, and make quick observations of the staff’s response while doing so.

From the time taken to be greeted by the front office employee to the handling of the entire customer experience right, and the handling of the customer in different moods whether critical, angry or just asking for extra privileges like wrapping of a gift, the observations made by a mystery shopper are objective and quantifiable as well as experience based.

Mystery shopping is the method by which an individual poses as a customer and observes certain parameters. These parameters are pre-decided with the company before implementation of the survey. For example, the retail outlet may decide it wants to look at a list of ten points which include, the signage at the showroom, the way the security guard carried himself, the alertness of the customer service staff in greeting, the clarity on explaining features and advantages of a product, enthusiasm in talking about product range, customers’ effectiveness in handling objections.

The outsider perspective is often what businesses miss out on. Mystery shopping provides this perspective and the results of the survey, if well presented, form a major input into the marketing strategy and enable a company to take a look at it’s brand. Marketing activities such as mystery shopping can often lead to inputs, which if seriously considered can make a difference to top line, bottom line as well as change the level of customer satisfaction. It can also determine where the company stands in it’s ranking viz-a-viz competitors.

So, if you are a marketing head and come across someone who has great interpersonal skills, a flair for being natural in dialoguing, for inquiry on products and services and a keen sense of observation and ability to quantify experience, he or she may well be person you may want to engage with for such a survey. You may even want to equip him/her with an audio or video tool in the form of a tape or a hidden camera!

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—About our writer:

Amanda writes for chillibreeze.

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