• Mystery Shopping your Customer Experience

  • The past few years have been very challenging for businesses and unfortunately, the current rising interest rates are making things even more difficult. Lots of small and medium-sized businesses are making cuts in an attempt to save money, but if you want to increase profitability, mystery shopping services are one thing you shouldn’t be cutting back on. Working with an experienced mystery shopper is crucial at this testing economic time and you should look at mystery shopping services as an investment.

     

    It’s more important than ever before to ensure you’re providing an exceptional consumer experience, regardless of which sector you operate in and whether you own a clothing store or a restaurant, for example, the experience you’re providing will directly impact your future success. Below we have explored in more detail why it’s essential to work with a mystery shopping company to ensure you’re providing a positive consumer experience.

     

    Consumers have less to spend

     

    Similarly to how some businesses are struggling financially in the current economy, lots of families are struggling too. During the current cost of living crisis, people have less money to spend and they are being much more cautious when making purchases. Consumers will be thinking long and hard about which businesses they want to spend money with, and your experience can help you to win over prospective customers.

     

    Mystery shopper services can give you a useful insight into the customer experience you’re providing, whatever this looks like for you. Working with a team of experts can help you to understand where you’re excelling and where you can improve, so you can ensure that you’re providing the best consumer experience moving forward. In turn, this will help you to attract and retain the right types of customers who will continue to invest in your business long-term.

     

    Experience is something people are paying attention to

     

    Although the rising cost of living is at the forefront of people’s minds, it’s not enough just to be the cheapest business anymore. This also isn’t realistically feasible for you and if you want to remain profitable, you should aim to stand out from the crowd for reasons other than your competitive pricing. Providing innovative products, quality customer service and a positive customer journey really is key to pleasing consumers moving forward.

     

    Working with a mystery shopping agency can help you to provide consumers with the meaningful interactions they demand these days. Mystery shoppers will help you to understand how customers interact and connect with your business throughout your consumer lifecycle, and the unbiased and honest appraisal they provide will be invaluable. You will have the knowledge you need to ensure your consumer experience is frictionless from start to finish.

     

    Word-of-mouth marketing is completely free

     

    In this digital day and age, the majority of people will search for businesses online and when doing so, they will look at reviews. Simply put, the thoughts and opinions people have about your business will directly impact your ability to win over new customers. Now that people are even more conscious about wasting their money, they will be turning to review sites and asking for personal recommendations before choosing a business.

     

    By investing in mystery shopping services, you can ensure that people are talking about your business for all of the right reasons and your positive reputation is helping to bring new customers through the door. Improving your consumer experience will encourage people to tell others about how satisfied they were with your business and this can prevent you from having to spend as much on other forms of marketing to boost brand awareness.

     

    Using mystery shopper services to improve customer experience

     

    It’s fair to say that if you’re currently cutting costs to try and stay afloat, mystery shopper services are one thing you shouldn’t cut back on. If you’d like to find out more about working with a mystery shopping agency, feel free to get in touch with us at Proinsight. We have been working with a variety of businesses for many years now and we develop bespoke programmes that are designed to drive customer experience strategies. We pride ourselves on delivering results quickly and efficiently for our clients.

     

    For many of our clients, we are a trusted partner and you can rely on us to provide you with the nationwide mystery shopper services you need to boost customer experience. We’ve got the people, the skills and the experience to help your business thrive at this challenging time.


    David Hopkins

    David Hopkins

    Managing Director at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    David has a long history in the business of doing good business. In 2008, he co-founded Proleisure, a leisure consulting company, where he identified a growing need for deeper customer insights across the industry. This led to the launch of Proinsight Mystery Shopping in 2014, with a vision to provide businesses with the valuable data needed to enhance customer experience.

    Now, as we approach our 10th year, Proinsight has become a leading provider of specialist mystery shopping, auditing, and research programs, serving a diverse range of sectors across the UK including real estate, fitness, retail, hospitality, and so many more. We remain committed to helping our clients achieve excellence and drive meaningful improvements in their businesses.

    David is deeply committed to enhancing customer service across all industries. His passion lies in providing valuable mystery shopping insights that empower clients to take actionable steps towards improvement. By delivering these insights directly, David helps businesses create effective strategies to elevate their customer experience and drive meaningful change.


    Chloe Kinch

    Chloe Kinch

    Director of Client Success at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    Chloe joined Proinsight Mystery Shopping as an Account Manager in 2017. Prior to her role at Proinsight, she served as National Sales Manager at Parkwood Leisure, where she gained extensive experience in exceeding customer expectations and developed a deep understanding of the leisure industry.

    Chloe quickly advanced within Proinsight, progressing from Account Manager in 2017 to Head of Client Success in 2020, and ultimately to Director of Client Success and shareholder in 2022. In her current role, she leads client relationships with prestigious brands such as David Lloyd, Dyson, and Apple. Chloe is responsible for designing bespoke mystery shopping programs tailored to each client's specific needs, aimed at enhancing customer service and optimising sales processes across various industries, including real estate, hospitality, retail, leisure, and more.


    Lucy Winn

    Lucy Winn

    Brand and Communications Manager at Proinsight Mystery Shopping

    After graduating with a degree in Marketing from the University of Westminster, Lucy successfully grew and scaled her own e-commerce womenswear clothing business over a span of four years, expanding into international retail markets including Japan, the US, and France. With extensive expertise in brand development and digital communications, Lucy has driven commercial growth through strategic initiatives like influencer marketing, digital campaign management, and both online and offline retail expansion.

    In July 2024, she joined Proinsight Mystery Shopping as Brand and Communications Manager, where she leads the strategy and management of all digital platforms, including the website and social media, with a focus on driving shopper sign-ups and generating client leads. Additionally, she oversees event management for both internal company days and major external summits like Connect CX. At these events, we emphasise the critical importance of exceptional customer service across various industries, positioning it as a cornerstone of a brand’s overall UX strategy.