Towns' mystery shoppers to put stores to test (From Ludlow Advertiser)

Towns' mystery shoppers to put stores to test

INDEPENDENT retailers in Droitwich and Evesham will be able to showcase their customer service skills and variety of choice as a team of mystery shoppers drop in to give both towns a full retail audit.

The Location Model, designed by Skillsmart Retail, the Sector Skills Council for Retail, is being used by Wychavon District Council to assess the overall shopping experience in Droitwich and Evesham. The projects are funded by Advantage West Midlands.

Trained market research professionals are visiting each participating independent shop in the towns twice this month and judging how well they are performing in areas such as customer service, product knowledge and window display.

As well as this, 100 shoppers in the towns will be interviewed to find out how satisfied or dissatisfied they are with the service they receive.

The town centres themselves will also be audited. This will focus on how easy it is for a stranger to shop and everything from car parking and street signage will be assessed – even the smallest of details such as how easy it is for shoppers to cross roads.

The auditors will also assess the location of basic town landmarks including the post office and library.

Once the information has been gathered, results will be revealed at public meetings and used to plan a way forward for the towns and discuss how certain areas could be improved.

Janet Yates, Droitwich Spa area partnership manager, said: “The Location Model is a wonderful opportunity for retailers in Droitwich to get advice and up-to-date information about how they are performing. Independent advice like this will help us all plan how we develop and promote the town in the future.”