An airport asked us to produce a ranking of its stores, verifying compliance with opening hours, the competence of the staff, and adherence to commercial agreements. The goal was to design a checklist able to assess very different types of store, building a benchmark that would stimulate competition between operators. Through monthly checks, the system rewarded the best store overall and in each category. The shoppers also had to be able to evaluate the stores beyond the check-in areas, and to be of various nationalities so they could verify the assistance given to foreign customers. The results: a 20% increase in the quality index in the second cycle of checks and, on an annual basis, a 47% reduction in anomalies. The factors that caused the most friction — the absence of a name badge, failure to respect opening hours — fell to minimal levels and disappeared altogether in most cycles. Customer care also recorded a drop in complaints about the stores.
Verifying compliance with regulations and agreements
Mystery shopping can measure compliance with commercial agreements or with sector regulations. Checks can be run in a mixed mode: after an initial covert mystery shopping phase, the evaluator identifies themselves and verifies compliance with regulations and agreements together with the staff, collecting the necessary documentation during this stage.
