An international consumer electronics chain asked us to send our experienced shoppers to verify its Italian stores: covertly, to check for the presence of other brands' products; and through a covert audit, to verify compliance with commercial agreements.
In this case the shoppers visited the stores, first gathering information on the competing brands' products being sold, then identifying themselves to the store manager and completing, together with them, the standards checklist. This covered the breadth of the display, the presence of current promotional materials, the availability of products on offer, checks on lighting, cleanliness and equipment, and an assessment of staffing levels.
The brand awarded prizes and visual promotional material to the stores that met the standards.
