Mystery shoppers in fashion retail: from a monitoring tool to a coaching instrument

Interview

Mystery shopping has long been a familiar tool in fashion retail for assessing in-store customer experience. Previously used primarily to monitor service agreements, its focus is increasingly shifting towards learning and improvement. Retailers now use insights from store visits as input for coaching, training and discussions on the shop floor. To better understand this development, FashionUnited spoke with fashion retailers, industry organisations and a retail expert.

Research agency Excap, based in Groningen and Antwerp, no longer views mystery shopping as a standalone measurement tool. It is now seen as part of a broader analysis of the customer experience. Arjen van Hijum, managing director of Excap, personally confirmed this to FashionUnited. The agency, which began with in-store mystery shopping over 20 years ago, now focuses on the entire customer journey, incorporating both physical stores and online touchpoints. “How a customer experiences a brand depends on many touchpoints,” stated Excap. Within fashion retail, the store remains a key moment for orientation, advice and trying on products.

According to Excap, retailers use mystery shopping for a variety of reasons. Brands use it to assess how their products are presented and recommended in stores. Other organisations use it to measure the extent to which employees apply trained sales techniques on the shop floor. Larger retail chains also use the tool to monitor whether brand values and desired practices are consistently implemented across different branches. The emphasis is often on aspects such as customer approach, product knowledge and the progression of the sales conversation.

G-Star and My Jewellery on mystery shopping as a development tool

FashionUnited spoke with G-Star and My Jewellery about their use of mystery shopping within their retail organisations. Both brands collaborate with the platform Secret View, using the tool systematically to measure the store experience with a strong focus on coaching and team development.

At G-Star, a mystery shopper visits every store each quarter to assess the customer experience based on predetermined criteria. The results are immediately accessible to store managers, who then discuss them with their teams. Pascal de Boer, retail director at G-Star, emphasises that the insights are used not just to measure performance, but to implement targeted improvements and share successes within the organisation. Dashboards also allow for the analysis of results at a regional, national or channel level, revealing broader trends.

My Jewellery also employs mystery shopping to monitor the experience within its physical boutiques. The focus is firmly on service as a key differentiator in its stores. According to the brand, the results provide insight into how customers perceive the store and highlight opportunities for improvement. These insights subsequently form the basis for training and coaching at both team and organisational levels.

Both retailers use dashboards to monitor performance and track developments. G-Star emphasises the systematic measurement and analysis of store performance. My Jewellery, however, explicitly uses the outcomes to further optimise the store experience, focusing on customer approach, product knowledge and visual merchandising.

According to both brands, the effectiveness of mystery shopping is closely linked to the internal application of its results. Transparency, a focus on development and the active involvement of store teams in the follow-up process are crucial. When insights are used as a basis for feedback and training, employees generally perceive the tool as both educational and motivating.

At G-Star, this approach has led to measurable improvements in store performance, with a consistent rise in mystery shopping scores between the first assessment in 2025 and the first in 2026.

More retail examples: Inno, Carhartt, Les Soeurs, Ziengs and Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet

G-Star and MyJewellery are not the only companies using mystery shopping services. Several providers offer these services in the Netherlands. Companies such as Inno; Carhartt; Les Soeurs; Ziengs; and Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet (in no particular order) work with Excap, for example.

According to the agency, each of these organisations uses mystery shopping to meet specific objectives. It is used to assess how brands are promoted within multi-brand environments; to test the application of sales and advisory skills training by employees; and to gain insight into the quality of sales conversations on the shop floor. Larger organisations also use the tool to monitor the consistent implementation of brand values, terminology and desired customer approaches across different branches.

More focus on omnichannel and speed

The application of mystery shopping is also shifting towards a broader view of the customer journey. There is a greater focus on the cohesion between online and offline channels, for instance by including e-commerce experiences or in-store return processes.

The speed of reporting has also increased. While results were previously available only after several weeks, clients now often expect insights via dashboards within a few days. “Our clients expect and, if requested, receive insight into results within 48 hours. This ranges from individual visit reports to a dashboard where we link various data sources,” stated Excap.

According to Excap, mystery shopping also requires a clear cost-benefit analysis. The initial investment can be a barrier for some organisations, with the return not always being immediately apparent. The agency emphasises that success depends partly on internal positioning. Excap notes that mystery shopping is more readily accepted on the shop floor when introduced as part of a broader vision for employee training and development, rather than as a standalone monitoring tool.

This approach aligns with the experiences of G-Star and My Jewellery, where mystery shopping is explicitly used as a learning instrument. By sharing results transparently and using them for coaching and training, store teams there generally find the tool motivating and educational.

The agency also notes an increase in online mystery shopping. The tool is used to test digital applications, such as e-commerce functionalities or new technologies for online fitting and personalisation. Companies use mystery shoppers in these instances to gain insight into the usability and customer experience of these tools. According to Excap, combining these insights with existing customer data allows organisations to better connect customer experience with commercial performance over time.

De Onderzoekfabriek on how its use is shifting towards development

In fashion stores, mystery shopping often focuses on moments of personal contact between staff and customers. This includes the greeting; enquiring about needs; providing suitable product advice; assisting in the fitting room; and completing the sale. A spokesperson for De Onderzoekfabriek told FashionUnited that these interactions are crucial in determining whether a customer ultimately makes a purchase. Retailers also use the results to identify differences between branches, allowing them to investigate where service agreements are being met more or less effectively.

The spokesperson provided FashionUnited with a practical example. At a large shoe chain, mystery shopping revealed that while customers were greeted, staff often asked only general questions such as “can I help you?”. After coaching on asking more targeted questions, such as the occasion for the shoes or the desired style, there was an improvement in both the mystery shopping scores for advice and closing the sale, as well as in the number of purchases.

The agency observes developments similar to those seen by Excap. These include the use of dashboards and data analysis for faster access to results and the growing integration with online customer journeys via e-commerce or chat. De Onderzoekfabriek also notes an increased use of photo and video materials to more concretely illustrate situations from store visits during the coaching or training of store teams.

Retail expert Dirk Mulder: objectivity depends on execution

To gain a broader, independent perspective on this development, FashionUnited also spoke with retail expert Dirk Mulder of ING. He believes the value of mystery shopping depends heavily on how organisations implement the tool. “If you use it to hold employees accountable, it remains a monitoring tool. If you use it as a basis for feedback, training and discussion, it becomes a coaching instrument,” Mulder stated.

He believes mystery shopping can help improve service and customer experience, but the measurement tool is not entirely objective. The outcomes depend on factors such as the timing of the assessment, the frequency of visits and the mystery shopper's interpretation. Establishing clear criteria and scenarios beforehand can, however, increase objectivity.

When organisations use the results as a basis for training and development, it can contribute to a better store experience and, in the long term, to commercial performance. He notes that direct effects on revenue are difficult to prove. Improved service can, however, encourage customers to stay in the store longer, spend more and return more frequently.

Looking ahead, Mulder expects mystery shopping to evolve further towards a broader, omnichannel approach. This will involve assessing not only the physical store experience but also online touchpoints and the cohesion between both channels throughout the entire customer journey.

This article was translated to English using an AI tool.

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