A retailer's goal of providing the right products, at the right price, to the right people may not always be executed as planned. While intentions are good, the occasionally overwhelming daily objectives may cloud the overall view of our retail stores.
In order to meet our customers' needs, it is important to conduct regular retail store evaluations. An objective assessment of our stores can help us measure whether or not we are fulfilling our customers' expectations.
The Benefits
Why do we conduct retail store evaluations? The most obvious answer is so we can view our store through the eyes of our customers. Other reasons to conduct regular retail store evaluations are to:
- Identify areas that are working well
- Locate overlooked problems
- Learn how the store compares to similar retail stores
- Examine consumer buying behaviors
- Increase sales and margins
When creating a list of questions for the retail store evaluations, objectivity and neutrality are most important. Store evaluations can be performed by a mystery shopper service or retailers can conduct their own store assessment. Consider encouraging staff to participate and be sure to solicit customer feedback in the form of store opinion surveys.
Read on to learn what areas to evaluate.
Retailers can use all of the following questions for a thorough and comprehensive store analysis or choose certain areas that may need investigation.
General
- Is the store conveniently located?
- Are the store hours convenient for the customer’s shopping needs?
Store Appearance – Exterior
- Is the parking lot and sidewalk clean and well-lit?
- Are the windows clean?
- Are there miscellaneous fliers posted on the store front?
- Do any signs convey the correct image?
- Can the business be easily identified from the road?
Store Appearance - Interior
- Is the store's atmosphere and décor appealing to the consumer?
- Is the floor free of debris and appear clean?
- Are all light fixtures working properly? Does the store appear well-lit?
- Are interior signs consistent in font and color?
- Does the store look full of inventory?
Customer Service
- Are customers greeted by a member of staff upon entering the store?
- Are employees easily identifiable with uniform or name tags?
- Does the staff seem knowledgeable about the products they sell?
- Do the employees of this store handle customer complaints, returns and other customer service issues directly and promptly?
- Does the staff consistently treat customers with respect?
Product Offering
- Are products well signed, labeled with prices and neatly displayed?
- Is there a good variety and selection of products?
- Are the prices competitive with other retailers in the area?
- Is the quality of merchandise the highest available for the price?
Traffic Flow
- Does the store layout make it easy to navigate around the shop?
- Is each department within the store clearly defined?
- Are the aisles wide enough? Are they free of boxes?
