Mystery shopping, where test customers put themselves in real purchasing situations, has been a well-known tool in fashion retail for years to check the customer experience in stores. Previously, it was mainly used to control service agreements. Today the focus is increasingly shifting to learning and improvement. Retailers use the insights from store visits as a basis for coaching, training and discussions on the sales floor. To better shed light on this development, FashionUnited spoke to fashion retailers, industry organizations and a retail expert.
The research company Excap, based in Groningen and Antwerp, no longer sees mystery shopping as an independent measurement tool. Instead, it is part of a broader analysis of the customer experience, Arjen van Hijum, Excap managing director told FashionUnited. The company began mystery shopping in stores over 20 years ago. Today it focuses on the entire customer journey, which includes both physical stores and online touchpoints. “How customers experience a brand depends on many contact points,” says Excap. In the fashion trade, the store remains an important moment, for example for orientation, advice and trying on products.
According to Excap, retailers use mystery shopping for various reasons. Brands use it to check how their products are presented and recommended in stores. Other organizations use this to measure the extent to which employees use trained sales techniques on the sales floor. Larger retail chains also use the instrument. You monitor whether brand values and desired working methods are implemented consistently in the various branches. The focus is often on aspects such as approaching customers, product knowledge and the course of the sales conversation.
G-Star and My Jewelery on mystery shopping as a development tool
FashionUnited spoke to Dutch denim brand G-Star and accessories brand My Jewelery about using mystery shopping in their retail organizations. Both brands use the tool structurally to measure the shopping experience. However, they particularly emphasize its role in coaching and team development.
At G-Star, every store is visited by a mystery shopper every quarter. These evaluate the customer experience based on predetermined criteria. The results are immediately visible to branch managers to discuss with their teams. Pascal de Boer, Retail Director at G-Star, emphasized that the insights are not just for measuring performance. Rather, they are used to implement targeted improvements and share successes within the organization. Dashboards can also be used to analyze results at a regional, national or channel level, revealing broader trends.
My Jewelery works with an external tool for mystery shopping. This measures the shopping experience in physical boutiques. The focus is strongly on service as a differentiator. According to the brand, the results not only provide information about how customers experience the store. They also clearly show where there is room for improvement. These findings then form the basis for training and coaching at team and organizational level.
Both companies use dashboards to monitor performance and track developments. G-Star focuses on structured measurement and analysis of business performance. My Jewelery, on the other hand, uses the results specifically to further optimize the shopping experience. Attention is paid to customer approach, product knowledge and visual merchandising.
According to both brands, the effectiveness of mystery shopping depends heavily on how the results are used internally. Transparency, a focus on development and the active involvement of the store teams in the follow-up play an important role. If the findings serve as a basis for feedback and training, employees will predominantly find the tool to be instructive and motivating.
At G-Star, this approach has now led to measurable improvements in business performance. Mystery shopping ratings increased consistently between the first round of measurements in 2025 and the first round of 2026.
More examples from retail
G-Star and My Jewelery aren’t the only ones using mystery shopping. Excap worked in the fashion trade for companies such as Inno, Carhartt, Les Soeurs, Ziengs and the Batavia Stad Fashion Outlet. According to the company, each of these organizations has its own goals with mystery shopping. It is used to assess how brands are promoted in multi-brand environments. We also examine the extent to which employees apply training in sales and consulting skills in practice. Another goal is to gain insights into the quality of the sales conversation on the sales floor. Larger organizations also use the tool to monitor the consistent implementation of brand values, terminology and the desired customer approach in different branches.
Greater focus on omnichannel and speed
At the same time, the application of mystery shopping is increasingly shifting towards a more comprehensive view of the customer journey. The connection between online and offline channels is examined more frequently. For example, web shop experiences or returns processes in the store are also taken into account. In addition, the speed of reporting has increased. Previously, the results were only available after several weeks. Today, clients often expect insights via dashboards within a few days. “Our customers therefore expect and receive insight into the results within 48 hours upon request. From reports per visit to a dashboard in which we link different data sources,” says Excap.
According to Excap, mystery shopping in practice also requires a clear cost-benefit analysis. For some organizations, the investment initially represents a hurdle because the return is not always immediately apparent. The company emphasizes that success also depends on internal positioning. According to Excap, when introduced as part of a broader vision for employee training and development, mystery shopping is more quickly accepted on the sales floor than when presented purely as a control tool. This approach is consistent with the experiences of G-Star and My Jewelery, where mystery shopping is explicitly used as a learning tool. By transparently sharing the results and using them for coaching and training, the store teams largely find the tool to be motivating and educational.
Additionally, the company notes that online mystery shopping is also becoming more common. The instrument is used to test digital applications such as web shop functions or new technologies for online fittings and personalization. Companies use mystery shoppers in these cases to gain insights into the usability and customer experience of these tools. According to Excap, by combining these insights with existing customer data, organizations can build better long-term connections between customer experience and commercial performance.
Targeted interaction leads to success
In fashion stores, the focus of mystery shopping is often on the moments of personal contact between employees and customers. This includes greeting, inquiring about requests, appropriate product advice, support in the changing room and closing the sale. According to a spokesman for De Onderzoekfabriek, it is precisely these interactions that determine whether customers ultimately buy something. Retailers also use the results to show differences between branches. This allows them to investigate where certain service agreements are being adhered to better or worse.
The Dutch market research institute cited a large shoe chain as a practical example. Mystery shopping there showed that customers were welcomed, but employees often did not have general questions such as “Can I help you?” came out. After coaching to ask more specific questions, such as what the shoes are worn for or what style someone is looking for, mystery shopping ratings for advice and sales completion as well as the number of purchases improved.
At the same time, the company is observing similar developments to Excap. This includes the use of dashboards and data analysis to deliver results more quickly, as well as increasing integration with online customer journeys via web shops or chats. In addition, De Onderzoekfabriek notes that photo or video material is increasingly being used. The aim is to illustrate situations from store visits during coaching or training of store teams in more concrete terms.
Trade Expert: Objectivity depends on implementation
To get a more comprehensive, independent look at this development, FashionUnited also spoke to retail expert Dirk Mulder from Dutch bank ING. According to him, the value of mystery shopping depends largely on how organizations use the tool. “If you use it to evaluate employees, it remains a control tool. If you use it as a basis for feedback, training and discussions, it becomes a coaching tool,” says Mulder.
In his opinion, mystery shopping can help improve service and customer experience. However, the measuring instrument is not completely objective. The results depend, among other things, on the time of measurement, the frequency of visits and the interpretation of the mystery shoppers. However, establishing clear criteria and scenarios in advance can increase objectivity.
When organizations use the results as a basis for training and development, it can contribute to a better shopping experience and, in the long term, better business results. In his opinion, direct effects on sales are difficult to prove. However, improved service can lead to customers staying longer, spending more and returning more often.
Looking forward, Mulder expects mystery shopping to continue to evolve toward a broader omnichannel approach. Not only the experience in the physical store is considered, but also the online contact points and the connection between both channels within the entire customer journey.
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