Mystery Shopping of Retail Stores at Airport

Objective

The client, a leading Indian airport, wanted to maintain high quality of customer experience and identify the gaps at retail outlets in their Airport. In order to identify the gaps, mystery shopping was conducted at the store both on Domestic and International terminals and the following parameters were evaluated on the basis of category of stores i.e. Food & Beverage, Retail SBO & MBO, Spa & Lounges:

• Positioning
• Interior & Exterior
• Stock keeping
• Customer service
• Order taking & delivery
• Staff grooming
• Staff Interaction
• Billing Experience

Approach

The challenges we faced were:

• Shortlisting the parameters based on which the stores were to be evaluated.
• Mystery Shopping to be done by people with extensive retail background and experience.
• Adhering to stringent timelines for completion of mystery shopping.

The approach adopted to successfully deliver the scope of work was as under:

• Separate questionnaires were designed for each category of stores i.e. Food & Beverages, Retail Single and Multi Brand Outlets and Services (Spa & Lounges).
• Resumes were shortlisted through job portals to identify individuals with relevant retail experience.
• Backup shoppers were sourced in order to ensure hassle free and timely execution.

Outcome

Detailed reports and presentations stating the key improvement measures were shared with the client. The key concern areas were Stock Keeping & Store Exteriors for Retail SBO Outlets, employee standards & Staff Interaction at Spa & Lounges.