What’s the best way to see how you compare to your industry and/or local peers? In many cases, mystery shopping services could be a means of helping you gauge your competitors. If you want to see how the rival shop in town is interacting with customers, it may be wise to send some secret shoppers to evaluate the customer experience in the same way you measure your own.
Are Mystery Shopping Assignments for Competitors Common?
Our clients ask us from time to time if we offer competitor mystery shops, and the short answer is yes! We are absolutely willing to shop competitors, as long as it is accompanied by a regular inward-facing mystery shop program as well. Pricing for competitor shops is typically the same or very close to your existing prices, and you can order them on an as-needed basis.
We are more than happy (to the extent that you can provide us the details on those competitors) to give you comparison data, but we are not willing to solely act as a “spying” service. Our intended purpose for any secret shopping we undergo for your competitors is to use the data that we come away with and compare it to the results of your own mystery shopping experience. This way, you can see how you stack up and focus on the areas you need to improve upon.
Finding Room for Improvement
Competitor shops are extremely valuable in providing context to your own mystery shop data. You may think that you are excelling or struggling in certain parts of your customer experience, but if you don’t have something else to compare it to, your analysis may fall short.
Here are some examples of items that our clients will have us look for in competitor shops:
- Pricing
- Product features and benefits
- Product availability
- Staff sales skills
- Staff response time
- Subjective feedback from the customer about the experience
This information, coupled with the results of a mystery shop at your own business, gives you in-depth information regarding what is working for you and your competitors and what isn’t. From there, you can make any necessary changes that can bolster your customer service and allow your employees to have a better shopping experience.
Enhance Your Marketing Research
Don’t make the mistake of assuming that you are better (or worse) than your competition. Go gather some data using our shoppers so you can genuinely assess where you stand and find ways to improve. Once your customer service evaluation is complete, you can see what they are doing well and where you can improve, helping solidify your business and building your reputation.
Curious about how a mystery shopping company can help your competitor analysis? 360 Relay can help you learn more about your company’s customer interactions and help you discover what to build upon to improve your business. Ask us about incorporating competitor shops into your program today!