Why physical check is needed in the world of digitalization?

With the advent and incessant evolution of internet, accessibility to various forms of data has increased like never before. Most importantly, it’s not that one can access the data just superficially. Data that are available can be accessed at an intense level. In simple words, the shift of ‘accessibility to data’ from ‘limited’ to ‘overabundant’ has radically changed and impacted the way we work.

A reality check will always make sense

Although there is an ocean of open source customer data waiting for you and artificial intelligence software like IBM Watson to boost retail performance, physical checks are still important and haven’t lost its sheen even in the digital era. As far as physical checks are concerned, especially when it comes to customers and their experiences, to get more objective feedback tailored to your needs, mystery shopping services designed by HS Brands is your best resort. After all, humans made computers and not the other way round, right?

Data, Data Everywhere …

Earlier, the way of doing business was different because the access to data was limited. Businesses literally had to pay in order to get data that were relevant to their profiles. However, now, the scenario has completely changed with the emergence of a number of open source data platforms where you can get huge amount of data without having to shell out a penny. Some of the best examples of open source data are – books, journals and of course, the World Wide Web. And, needless to mention, but the footprint of data overabundance extends way beyond your business.

So, what is data all about?

Technically, there are 2 forms of data – primary and secondary. The former can be defined as first-hand data that is collected specifically for a pre-defined purpose. One of the biggest advantages of this type of data is – these can be custom tailored according to your specific needs. The secondary data, on the other hand is extracted from the existing records and sources. Simply put, secondary data is basically the data that’s available on the internet.

Does relying on some machine generated figures is not enough and you need to conduct physical checks in order to get the best insight into what’s actually going on? This is where mystery shopping steals the limelight.

How mystery shopping can help you with data?

Mystery shopping insights are collected by well-trained mystery shoppers and are all real-time and first-hand data.

So, how can you utilize the data for the betterment of your business? You might be wondering about the same, right? Mystery audit data are all about facts that you can utilize to mend the loopholes in your business for offering best possible customer experience that you can’t offer otherwise. The reason – mystery shoppers are human beings. They physically go to your retail outlets, buy products, ask for the assistance of the sales consultants and scrutiny the services to provide you with a real-time collection of facts.

Let’s take an example of how smiling at your customers at a retail set-up affects your business. Although smiling will cost you nothing, it can be a great earner for you and your business. Statistics say that smiling can be a good tool that can actually help you earn more profit. According to a research it has been found that customers are more likely to shell out around 40% more on retail outlets that greet and welcome them with a smile. A mystery shopper can help you get real-time sneak-peek into such scenarios and many more.

So, this is all about mystery shopping and how physical checks done by mystery shoppers are still realistic and relevant in the era of digitalization.