Mystery Shoppers

Featured Article February '09

According to YouGov research, 50% of marketing professionals expect companies to scale back their advertising budgets

 

If accurate, retailers may have fewer opportunities to persuade customers to shop with them.As we face an increasingly difficult economic climate the importance of customer service is worth re-emphasising.

Without so many TV and radio spots, word-of-mouth becomes all the more important.  The goal, ultimately, is to turn shoppers into advocates.  As IBM’s Institute for Business Values says ‘customers who will recommend and promote the retailer to others spend more of their wallet and remain loyal over time.’

Brand loyalty, even now, is not solely based on price: rather, it involves the emotive and human aspect of service as well as the product.  As Clive Briscoe, director of C.S.B. Marketing argued in Drapers Record: ‘this is a virtuous circle, with each interaction reinforcing the positive impression already held, driving affinity, loyalty and keeping tills busy.’

 

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Sources: Yougov.com: ‘”They think it’s all over” – What will the crunch do to next year’s marketing budgets?’, by David Lucas. IBM Institute for Business Value: ‘Turning Shoppers into Advocates’, by Melody Badgett, Maureen Stancik Boyce and Herb Kleinberger.