Robert Brocklesby
Senior Client Success Manager | The Home of Mystery Shopping
Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are under more pressure than ever to prove their value. Levy payers want to see tangible results, and every spend is being scrutinised. We have seen an increase in BID‑run award schemes, which can be either a powerful customer experience tool or a missed opportunity.
Over the last two years, we have worked closely with Lincoln BIG to redesign its Going the Extra Mile (GEM) Awards using independent mystery shopping. What started as a local business awards scheme is now helping the city outperform others on key retail and visitor metrics, while deepening trust between the BID and its levy payers.
Why BID Awards Need More Than Good Intentions
Lincoln BIG is one of England’s longest‑standing BIDs, voted in for five consecutive terms. Alongside initiatives such as its city‑centre warden, who tackles shop theft and business crime, the GEM Awards were created to celebrate local customer service, drive engagement and showcase Lincoln as a great place to visit, work and live.
However, in their first year, the awards didn’t land as intended. The third‑party assessor used was unable to provide the level of accuracy and consistency that local businesses expected. For levy payers, this was a serious concern: their money was being reinvested into an awards scheme that didn’t feel fair. As Lincoln BIG’s head of operations, Lee Roberts, put it, “the data the awards were based on in that first year was not good enough. It was undermining local businesses’ trust in us”.
This is a scenario we see quite often. When awards are based on minimal data, popularity votes, or opaque judging, they risk becoming a talking point for the wrong reasons. For BIDs who are trying to build long‑term relationships, that is the opposite of what you want your main customer experience initiative to achieve.
How Independent Mystery Shopping Transformed the GEM Awards
For the second year of the GEM Awards, Lincoln BIG decided to reset. In 2024, they appointed Proinsight as a mystery shopping partner and committed to a more transparent approach. Our aim was simple: to create an awards scheme that businesses actually believed in and that generated insights they could use to improve. A few elements were essential:
Category Design that Felt Fair
In the first year, independent restaurant owners felt disadvantaged compared with national brands. To address this, we worked with Lincoln BIG to introduce additional categories for independent restaurants and independent retailers, alongside existing categories for national businesses and professional services.
Robust, Mystery‑Shopped Assessment
Over a month‑long period, every participating business was mystery shopped by Proinsight. Businesses either nominated themselves or were nominated by neighbours, with no cost to take part. Each visit was assessed against clear, pre‑agreed criteria that reflected four core pillars: friendliness of service, speed of service, team knowledge and the overall environment.
Clear Scoring for Every Business
Every participant received a detailed report, a Net Promoter Score (NPS), and a ranking within their category. Winners were recognised at an awards night that quickly grew in popularity as the scheme gained credibility. Most importantly, the message to businesses was clear: this is not a popularity contest. Awards were judged impartially on robust mystery shopping data, and anyone can win if their customer experience is genuinely best‑in‑class.
What Lincoln BIG Achieved with Mystery‑Shopped Awards
With a new approach, the impact was evident in both hard numbers and softer relationship metrics. Among local businesses taking part in the GEM Awards, the average NPS rose from 53 in 2024 to 59 in 2025. This is a meaningful shift in how customers feel about their experiences across a range of sectors.
City‑wide, Lincoln has also consistently outperformed the GB retail sales average since July 2024, when Proinsight took over the GEM Awards. Footfall has also beaten like‑for‑like towns and cities, based on sensor data. While nobody is claiming the awards alone are responsible, Lincoln BIG and Proinsight both see the GEM scheme as a clear contributor.
Engagement with the awards continues to grow. Participation has risen from 89 businesses in 2023 to around 150 assessments in 2024 and 2025, with further growth expected. This shows how a trusted, mystery‑shopped scheme can become a powerful door‑opener for BIDs looking to engage more businesses.
Since then, Lincoln BIG secured its fifth term with a record turnout and the highest-ever vote in favour – 85.6% by number of businesses, rising to over 91% by rateable value. The GEM Awards were highlighted as one of the ways the BID was demonstrating value to levy payers.
How Other BIDs Can Replicate Lincoln BIG’s Success
For other BIDs considering how to refresh their awards or customer experience activities, a few lessons stand out from the Lincoln BIG story.
Underpin Awards with Credible, Independent Data
Using mystery shopping to underpin your awards gives you objective, comparable insight into how businesses are actually performing. It allows you to move away from “who shouts the loudest” towards a model that genuinely rewards excellent customer experience.
Give Every Business Useful Feedback
In Lincoln, every participating business receives a free, detailed report highlighting strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for improvement. BIDs can then use these insights to create training or provide additional support, turning an awards scheme into an improvement tool.
Position the Awards as a Catalyst for Change
One of the reasons businesses are now keen to take part is that they see the GEM Awards as a way to improve, not just a pat on the back. Many visit high‑performing peers to learn from their experience, creating a healthy, competitive environment that ultimately benefits the whole city.
Our Role as Customer Experience Experts for BIDs
We work with BIDs across the UK to design and deliver mystery shopping programmes that go beyond “tick‑box” evaluations. For some, this looks like a fully fledged awards scheme and for others, it might be a focused customer experience project in a particular sector or area.
As customer experience consultants, we help BIDs shape the right methodology, from category design and scoring frameworks through to communication plans. Our mystery shoppers evaluate real‑world experiences against agreed criteria, providing the impartial data you need to build trust with levy payers and local partners.
Ultimately, when awards are created around high‑quality mystery shopping, they can become a powerful part of your customer experience strategy. They raise standards, generate actionable insights and support the wider story you want to tell about your town or city.
Is It Time to Rethink Your BID Awards?
If you’re currently running a BID awards scheme, or considering launching one, now is a good time to ask whether it’s delivering everything it could. Are businesses confident in the process? Do they receive feedback they can actually use? And can you clearly link the scheme back to your customer experience and economic goals?
At Proinsight, we will be happy to talk through what worked in Lincoln and explore how a mystery‑shopped approach could work for your BID. You can read the full Lincoln BIG case study on LinkedIn and get in touch with our team to discuss next steps. With the right partner, your awards can do more than just celebrate success – they can help build trust, raise standards and boost performance across your entire area.
