Mystery Shopping Solutions Melbourne

Melbourne is a city renowned for its culture, cafes and shopping, as a business owner in Melbourne you have a potential market of people who are there to spend and enjoy the shopping experience.

If you are struggling to make sales and retain customers and/or staff or are wanting to grow your market share and improve your competitiveness you have come to the right place, as using a mystery shopper can bring great results for your company moving forwards.

In these uncertain economic times it pays to spend a little up-front to safeguard your business’ future and place yourself in a stable position to take advantage of future growth opportunities. You will find an initial investment in identifying and solving overlooked, or, unmanageable issues will set you up for a greater return on investment down the track.  

Melbourne is a Thriving Hub, is Your Business Doing it Tough?

Melbourne is the administrative, business, recreational and cultural heart of Victoria. It is often referred to as Australia’s most international and multicultural city with a population, landscape and way of life reminiscent of major European hubs. Melbourne’s architecture is an eclectic mix of modern visionary designs and heritage style buildings which complement each other and imbue the city with a timeless feel.

Visitors and locals alike can immerse themselves in an exciting hospitality, retail and cultural scene. The city is comprised of a labyrinth of laneways full of eateries, chic bars dotting the neighbourhoods, numerous boutique fashion retailers, world-class art galleries, large beautiful parks be-speckled with greenery, and inner city suburbs oozing village-like charm. It is consistently ranked as one of the most liveable places in the world and it is little wonder why.

Melbourne Population and Revenue Facts

According to the Australian government’s Invest Victoria Melbourne website, Melbourne’s population is growing and if the current trends continue, it will become the largest city in Australia by about 2053. Victoria boasts the second largest state economy in Australia, with only 3% of land mass, it nevertheless makes up 22% of Australia’s economic output.

But, the predictions are not all rosy, a recent Guardian article has assessed the implications of the release of Australian Bureau of Statistics annual gross state product figures. It shows Victoria’s 2013-2014 economic performance was dismal and amongst the worst in Australia. The state has an average annual growth rate of only 2.1% and employment growth of 0.2% below the national average. What this means is that the economy is barely limping along and is showing similar performance as when it weathered the Global Financial Crisis.

Staying in business in Melbourne’s economic climate comes with many more obstacles than in years gone by. You should take steps to make sure you remain competitive and profitable. By equipping the services of our expert mystery shopping Melbourne team you can do just that.

Melbourne Mystery Shopping Areas of Analysis

Our mystery shopper Melbourne team will evaluate the main areas of your business to see what is working well and what needs improvement, fixing, and changing. We will look at your premises and floor lay-out, product range and quality of offerings, as well as, customer service and staff presentation.

1.       Customer Service and Cleanliness

Besides the quality of your goods and/or services, the presentation of your staff coupled with their customer service skills are key to ongoing business success and customer retention ability. The secret shopper will observe their appearance (is their work attire clean and worn correctly?), as well as, directly and indirectly discerning just how well each employee engages customers and satisfies their needs and wants.

After scrutinising their work ethic and service skills incognito the secret shopper will pin-point who exactly is going above and beyond and who is performing poorly. By identifying your best and poorest performers you will know who is of most value and who would benefit from training, or, replacement.

This will give you peace of mind when you are not present in the business and give you a clear indication of who is ripe for promotion, or, to act as team leader/supervisor/manager, as well as, giving you the option to introduce an incentive scheme to promote consistent good customer service habits by recognising your best employees. One of the most inexpensive ways to achieve this is by introducing an employee of the month award.

2.       Premises Cleanliness and Maintenance

We will look at your premises inside and out including the building appearance, floor plan and stock layout to see if the place is being kept-clean and tidy and if any fixtures, or, fittings need repairs, sprucing up, or, a complete change. A fresh pair of trained eyes is excellent for getting into your customers’ shoes and spotting areas needing improvement.

Is your stock well-labelled? Are sections easily identifiable and organised? Are similar products grouped together? Are the shelves, hooks, tables and so on adequately spaced to allow access for multiple browsing shoppers? Does the appearance of your store look inviting? Are trading hours clearly displayed? Has the floor been swept and are products free from dust? And many more considerations will be taken into account.

3.       Products

Our mystery shopping Melbourne, secret customer will purchase a selection of your goods for testing and evaluation to ensure your stock is of good quality and see if anything needs tinkering. Feel free to let us know if you have concerns about any particular products and we will focus our attention on reviewing these.