Not all mystery shops are created equal. Most follow a checklist, focus on customer service, and provide a snapshot in time. While that can be useful, it often doesn’t go far enough to show what’s really happening in your store, or where the real opportunities lie to increase sales. That’s where my approach is different.
I offer two ways to look at your business—depending on how much insight and direction you’re looking for.
TWO WAYS TO WORK WITH ME:
Mystery Shop: Customer Experience
An undercover visit to your store, with practical feedback on your customer service and experience, what’s working well, and where improvements can be made to maximise opportunities.Strategic Mystery Shop
This is a deeper, more considered evaluation, designed to give you real insight into how your business is performing and where the opportunities are to improve the customer’s experience for maximum value. It’s conducted by me, as a retail specialist, this goes beyond just observation of customer service. It’s about understanding your business through the eyes of your customer and through the lens of experience, and defining strategies that improve the customer journey and, most importantly, increase sales.
OUR SERVICES
BEYOND THE
RETAIL MYSTERY SHOP
A deeper evaluation of your business, focused on uncovering opportunities to improve performance and increase sales.
NOT SURE WHICH IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
LET’S TALK IT THROUGH.
Option 1. MYSTERY SHOP: CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
A practical, structured review of your in-store customer experience. This is a more straightforward mystery shop, designed to give you clear, objective feedback on how your business is performing day to day.
Unlike traditional mystery shopping services, I complete the visit myself. That means you’re not getting feedback from an unknown shopper, you’re getting insight from someone with retail experience who understands what to look for and what gives the best opportunity to lift sales.
This Mystery Shop includes a 30-minute debrief to talk through the findings and next steps.
How it works
Before the visit, you’ll be provided with a structured review template which you can tailor to reflect what’s most important to your business.
For example:
how your team greets customers.
whether add-on sales are being encouraged.
how product knowledge is communicated.
the overall customer experience
I then visit your store undercover and complete the review based on your priorities.
After the visit, you’ll receive the completed report with clear observations and feedback and we meet remotely for a 30-minute debrief session where we’ll talk through the findings, answer any questions, and discuss practical next steps.
What this gives you
This is a focused, practical review of your customer experience and store presentation.
It will give you:
an impartial view of how your team is performing.
insight into the customer experience.
clarity on what’s working and what may need attention.
For many businesses, this is a really valuable starting point, especially if you’re looking for a clear, objective view of what’s happening day to day.
If you’re wanting to go further and understand how your store layout, merchandising and overall customer journey are influencing behaviour and spend, the Strategic Mystery Shop takes this to the next level.
Your store should be working just as hard to sell as your team does.
If a customer happens to walk through your store without speaking to anyone, your layout, merchandising and signage should still be guiding them, prompting them, and encouraging them to buy.
This is when a store ‘sells itself’.
Option 2: STRATEGIC MYSTERY SHOP
What makes the Strategic Mystery Shop different?
This is a deeper look at how your business is really performing, it goes beyond a standard mystery shop.
It’s a strategic evaluation of your store, your team and the overall customer experience and is designed to uncover not just what’s happening, but where the opportunities are.
I don’t just assess your customer service, I look at:
how your store ‘shops itself’.
how your layout and merchandising influence behaviour.
how your team interacts, sells and supports the customer journey.
where opportunities are being missed.
Because a great retail experience isn’t just about service, your store should be working just as hard to sell as your team.
What I’m evaluating
During the visit, I assess:
The full customer journey — from entry to exit.
Store layout and merchandising — how it drives movement and spend.
Sales and service — not just service, but the ability to sell.
Atmosphere and brand alignment — does the experience match your brand.
Since this is conducted undercover, your team won’t know it’s happening and this will give you a clear, unbiased view of what your customers are experiencing when you’re not there. A second visit may be needed for observations of store layout and presentation.
What you receive
You’ll receive a detailed report with observations, insights and practical recommendations. This includes a follow-up discussion, where we’ll talk through what it all means, prioritise opportunities, and identify the next steps.
Because the value isn’t just in the information, it’s in what you do with it.
You’ll receive a comprehensive report with observations, insights and practical recommendations.
This includes a dedicated Strategy Session, where we’ll:
interpret the findings and what they mean for your business
prioritise the opportunities that will have the greatest impact
map out clear, practical next steps
The format and duration of this session will be tailored to the complexity of your business and the findings from the shop.
Following this, you’ll also have email support for the next month, so you can ask questions and sense-check decisions as you begin to implement changes. This ensures you’re not just left with information, but supported in putting it into action.
In some cases, a follow-up visit later can be valuable to assess changes or review progress. This can be included as an extension if needed.
Where can this lead?
For many businesses, this is the beginning of a broader improvement process. Once you can clearly see what’s happening in your business, the next question is, ‘What do we do with this?’
That’s where I can support you further if you need it, through strategy, training or ongoing mentoring.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO KNOW MORE?
Who we work with:
We can work with just about any type of retail or service-based business. The shopping scenarios for an undercover shopper are endless.
Supermarkets & Grocery
Pet Stores
Office Supplies & Book Stores
Hair Salons & Beauticians
Specialty Retail
Cafes, Restaurants & Wineries
Automotive & Parts
Sporting, Camping & Fishing
Hardware & Home Improvement
Pharmacies
Garden Centres & Nurseries
Fashion, Shoes & Clothing
When you’re in your store every day, it’s easy to miss what your customers see.
A mystery shop gives you an objective view of your customer experience. A strategic mystery shop shows you where the real opportunities are.
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No, there isn’t. If I buy something from your business it will be because I really want it and that your store or team has convinced me I should have it! That’s a win-win. I walk away with something I love, and you get another loyal customer.
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Absolutely! That’s key to this whole process being successful. I will send you a draft version of an audit report and we can discuss what should be added or what’s not needed. It is customisable to suit your objectives. This will then become the basis of my undercover visit.
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No, I don’t think you should. I wouldn’t even tell your store manager or 2IC. If you want to understand exactly what your customers experience, then you want your team and your store to present exactly as it does on a normal day.
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Yes, they are. Prior to beginning, we will both sign a confidentiality document.
By signing this document, I agree to keep all results confidential and will not share with any other party unless you give me permission or request it.
At the same time, you will agree to not give a copy of the written report to any other party, except those that are employed by you or your company. I’m sure you will understand that whilst I want you to be able to use the report to educate and inform your team, the template itself is the intellectual property of The Retail Toolkit and we like to keep that undercover too!
Please see our Privacy Policy for more information.
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A 50% deposit is paid prior to the initial meeting. This is non-refundable.
An invoice for the remainder is sent along with the final report. This is to be paid within 7 days.
Please see our Terms & Conditions for more information.
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There are certainly some businesses that I might suggest I’m not the right person for - a barber springs to mind!
But in the main, it’s fairly easy to come up with a scenario for most businesses. For example, I might be shopping for my teenage son, grandchild or parent. Your team should be effective enough to provide excellent service to whoever is in front of them.
Also, fortunately I am lucky to have very broad general knowledge that would suit most businesses. I love camping and caravanning, I like a bit of DIY around the house (I even have my own dropsaw!), I’m not a mechanic but I’m pretty good with cars. From my previous businesses, I have excellent food-based knowledge as well as plants and gardening. I’ve worked across many sectors, including pets, and I even have my gorgeous dog, Shelby, who would love nothing better than being my undercover sidekick to mystery shop a pet store.
And, if I think it will help, I might take along one of our offsiders to help add a bit of authenticity.
If you’re still not sure, let’s have a chat.
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When it comes to our consultancy and mentoring, we can work remotely with any business any where in Australia, and other countries as well.
However, the Mystery Shop service is only available for businesses in areas that we can visit in person.
Currently we’re able to offer this service to any businesses in Perth and the south-west of Western Australia.
That covers all suburbs of Perth, Mandurah, Bunbury, Busselton, Dunsborough, Margaret River, Augusta, Albany and all areas in between.
If you’re interested in this service but not sure if we can assist, please get in touch.
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Once we’ve had a no-obligation discover call, we can provide a clear quote for you to review before proceeding. This quote will include everything — from the design of your tailored audit to the on-site visit and report.
There are no extra charges for any purchases made during the visit.
Frequently Asked Questions
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