Why Growing Brands Should Implement Mystery Shopping Programs
Fostering a consistently authentic Customer Experience is a challenge for brands of all different sizes.
Typically, if your organization is able to accomplish this level of service, then it means you are trending closer towards more growth opportunities. However, as your brand expands to different locations across your region or country, it becomes increasingly challenging to retain the authenticity that led to past profits. As brands grow, they need to conduct intentional research programs that grant them a better understanding of what is happening on the front lines, to ensure that these expanding locations are retaining the Customer Experience laid out in the groundworks of the organization. Mystery shopping programs are an effective method of capturing this data and can serve as a foundational tool for success within your growing infrastructure.
Emerging national brands have even more of a responsibility to collect this data because they are still in the process of establishing trust with their consumer base. Mystery shopping can influence trust levels while creating consumer relationships because it grants your team transparency as to how different branches are performing on an individualized level. This granulized information can help leadership identify areas along the customer journey that may be underperforming, as well as point out areas of success that should be replicated. The information provided by these research programs can help determine whether or not a problem is limited to one individual employee, or if it is something that forces the entire organization to adjust its methodology.
The best brands prioritize implementing positivity and personalization into every interaction that a customer has along their path-to-purchase, because 93% of consumers are more likely to purchase something if they receive a positive experience. In doing so, they are proving to each individual customer that they are valued, and that they are purchasing from an organization dedicated to providing a value that goes beyond a product or service. This omnichannel approach to Customer Experience is necessary in the modern landscape, because brands are at risk of losing 60% of those consumers if they fail to meet digital expectations. Make sure that your organization is collecting an appropriate amount of data that allows leadership to make informed decisions that will ideally lead to a consistently authentic experience for consumers.
Ultimately, all organizations should strive to capture the insights provided by a well-designed mystery shopping program. This data grants an outside-in perspective about the overall perception of your brand structure, as well as offering the ability to selectively granulize the scope of your program to collect highly-specific information. Data plays a huge role in the success of a growing organization, because it can help determine whether or not each action taken by leadership is sending your brand down the correct path. In fact, companies that utilize data as a tool to increase the personalization within their customer touchpoints experience a 6%-10% increase in revenue. Mystery shopping programs are a quality source of data that can help you further connect with customers as you grow, establishing long-term relationships with consumers and optimizing every interaction that takes place in all your new locations.
1,2,3 http://customerthink.com/the-future-of-experience-retail-in-15-statistics/
The true path to customer joy begins with immersion. At Second To None, we don’t simply ask your customers about their perceptions, observations, interactions, and experiences.
We truly become your customers.
Snapshot is our mystery shopping program, which has been core to our company since our founding in 1989. Whether in-store, online, on app, or beyond, we uncover key drivers of the customer experience that are responsible for improving customer satisfaction. You’ll understand what customers are experiencing each and every day. Learn more about Snapshot.