Introduction to mystery shopper and its importance in competitive analysis
Have you ever heard of a mystery shopper? You may not be familiar with the term, but you have certainly enjoyed its benefits as a customer. Below, we will explain what this interesting strategy consists of and how it can be very useful for an efficient competitive analysis in your business.
What is a mystery shopper?
This professional visits a commercial establishment posing as an ordinary customer. Their job is to evaluate objectively and in detail the quality of service, customer service, compliance with company standards and other aspects relevant to the customer experience.
Its importance in competitive analysis
In an increasingly competitive market, having a realistic and objective view of how your business is performing is essential. This is where the mystery shopper becomes a key tool for competitive analysis.
- Objective and realistic view: employees often behave differently when they know they are being observed by their superiors. A mystery shopper allows you to get a realistic view of the service offered to customers on a day-to-day basis.
- Identification of areas for improvement: this professional can identify problems or aspects that can be improved in customer service, in compliance with company standards, in sales management, etc.
- Competitor analysis: a mystery shopper can also visit competitors’ stores and provide valuable information about their practices and strategies.
- Improved customer experience: with the information provided by the Mystery Customer, you can implement improvements that will positively impact the experience of your customers and, therefore, the competitiveness of your business.
Key benefits of using mystery-shopper-analysis-mystery-customer-analysis in competitive analysis
Approaching business strategies from the perspective of a mystery shopper can provide a number of impressive benefits. These can translate into a significant advantage over the competition, especially in highly competitive sectors. Below, let’s discover some of these incredible benefits.
Improve customer experience
Studies by Harvard Business Review indicate that customers who have positive experiences tend to spend more and be more loyal. A mystery shopper can help you identify opportunities to improve the customer experience, thereby increasing sales and customer loyalty.
Identification of areas for improvement
Objective, unfiltered feedback from a mystery shopper can be an invaluable resource for identifying areas for improvement in your customer service processes. This will allow you to make adjustments and fix problems before they can negatively affect your brand image and sales performance.
Obtaining an objective perspective
Often, business owners and managers can be subjective in their perception of customer service. A mystery shopper, however, can provide an objective and unbiased perspective on the customer experience. This unbiased view can be extremely useful in assessing the quality of customer service.
Benchmarking against competitors
Using mystery shoppers can also help you understand how you compare to your competitors in terms of customer service, pricing, product presentation and more. This competitive analysis can be invaluable in identifying what aspects you need to improve in order to outperform your competitors.
Improve staff training
Finally, mystery shopper feedback can provide an excellent basis for staff training and education. By understanding strengths and weaknesses in customer interactions, you can design more effective training programs for your team.
Effective examples of how companies use this role to outperform the competition
Mystery shopping is a versatile tool that companies use to gain a competitive advantage. Let’s take a look at some examples of how different companies have effectively applied this strategy.
1. Improving customer satisfaction in the hospitality sector
A high-end restaurant employed a mystery shopper to evaluate staff performance, food quality and cleanliness. It acts like a regular customer, but is actually observing, evaluating and documenting your experience. The mystery shopper’s report revealed that, although the food was excellent, the service was slow and the bathrooms were not clean. Based on these observations, the restaurant was able to formulate improvement strategies and outperform the competition in terms of customer satisfaction.
2. Reinforcing the brand in the retail sector
A fashion retailer used mystery shopping to assess how its staff represented the brand to customers. The company wanted to ensure that employees adhered to the brand values and communicated them appropriately to customers. The person reported that some employees were not aware of the latest promotions and could not adequately answer customer questions. As a result of these findings, the company was able to conduct the necessary training to ensure that all employees are up to speed and can effectively represent the brand.
3. Improving service in the banking sector
A well-known bank employed a mystery shopper to evaluate the quality of its customer service. Through in-person visits, phone calls and online requests for information, the mystery shopper was able to assess the quality of service at various touch points. The insights gained allowed the bank to identify areas for improvement and focus its efforts on providing exceptional customer service, thus outperforming its competitors.
How to select and train an effective mystery shopper to maximize competitive analysis
The success of a mystery shopping program is directly related to the quality of the mystery shopper you use. To get the most out of this strategy, it is vital to know how to select and train your mystery shopper effectively. Here are some tips on how to do it.
Selection of the right fit
When selecting your mystery shopper, there are a few key factors to consider. Not just anyone can be an effective mystery shopper, as it requires certain skills and characteristics. Here are some important qualities to keep in mind:
- Observation: your professional shopper must be able to notice small details and be very observant.
- Impartiality: must be able to maintain a neutral and objective attitude.
- Memory: you must have a good memory to remember details of the shopping experience.
- Communication: must be able to communicate effectively and clearly.
Mystery shopper training
Once the right person has been selected, it is essential to train them correctly. Here are some tips on how to do it:
- Define expectations: you must be clear about what you expect from your mystery shopper. This may include the number of visits to be made, the aspects to be evaluated, etc.
- Provide clear guidelines: it is important that your mystery shopper has clear guidance on what to do. This can be as detailed as what questions to ask, what products to buy, etc.
- Training in observation and recall: your mystery shopper should be trained in how to observe and remember important details. This may include memory techniques, observation tips, etc.
- Training in reporting: finally, your mystery shopper should be trained in how to report their findings. This may include how to write a report, what details to include, etc.
Improving business strategy
The mystery shopper is a powerful tool for fine-tuning your business strategy. But how can you take these insights and take your business to the next level? Let’s dive right in!
Identify opportunities for improvement
Mystery shopper comments and insights provide us with a unique and valuable data set. They can reveal areas where our company can be stronger and outperform the competition. For example, if the professional noted that customer service could be friendlier and more efficient, this is a clear indication that more emphasis should be placed on training customer service personnel.
Refining the customer experience
The mystery shopper can also help us understand how our customers really feel when they interact with our brand. This gives us the opportunity to perfect the customer experience down to the last detail, which in turn can increase customer loyalty and make our brand more attractive than the competition.
Avoiding stagnation
One thing to keep in mind is that the business world is constantly changing. What worked six months ago may no longer be effective. Regular use of a professional shopper helps us to keep up to date and avoid falling behind.
Increase sales
At the end of the day, one of our main objectives is to increase sales. Mystery shopper insights give us a clear idea of where we are failing and what we can do to correct it. This can lead to increased sales and market share.
In conclusion, the use of a mystery shopper in competitive analysis is a powerful method to improve and grow as a company. It provides us with unique and valuable insights that would otherwise be difficult to obtain. So why not give it a try and see how it can improve your business?
