The point of an in-store audit is to identify those aspects of your business that need improvement, so that you can adjust your operations as necessary. Most importantly, your staff members need to be able to accept and implement the positive changes that arise from the results of the audit. The audit itself means little unless it does not result in progress and improvement in your business as a whole and particularly, among your staff. The effects of an in-store audit should ultimately speak for themselves, but there are a few intermediate steps before you will see those results.
The Benefits Of A Store Audit
Why do a store audit in the first place? A store audit gives you a balanced, objective, data-driven assessment of your retail business’s performance. You can then use the data to create meaningful changes in your organisation (where necessary) and bring it in line with your goals and standards. The main benefits of a store audit by Customer Perceptions include:
- A partnership-driven approach: We work in partnership with our clients to design audits that are tailored to their specific business needs.
- Cost-effective solutions: Our auditing software is extremely cost-effective and user-friendly.
- Flexibility: Our solutions are designed to work with all kinds of retail businesses, towards all kinds of business goals.
- Trained auditors: Our panel of field researchers are highly skilled and have plenty of experience in conducting both open and covert audits.
- Data-driven results: The audit results are data-driven and objective, providing clear, accurate measurements that you can use to assess and improve your business operations.
Why Are Retail Audits Important?
Retail audits are vital for any retail business’s continued competitiveness and success in a rapidly-changing market. With an expertly conducted in-store audit, you can achieve the following:
- Improved sales and market share: Using the feedback from your audits, which are provided to you in real time, you can make instant adjustments to your displays and operations, helping you increase your market appeal and sales without delay.
- Better retail compliance: In-store audits examine retail compliance with placement, pricing and promotional agreements. If your business falls short of these in any way, you can very quickly adjust them to bring them in line.
- Superior customer experience: Perhaps most crucially, in-store audits scrutinise the level of experience you are offering your customers. Consumers have a world of choices, and they will ultimately choose the one that offers them the most pleasant customer experience. The audit will examine every aspect of the experience you are offering to your customers, from the amount of time it takes to locate products to the courtesy and helpfulness of your staff.
The Effects Of An In-Store Audit On Staff
In-store audits are intended to provide an objective assessment of your store’s performance. It is not about pointing out faults – especially where your staff is concerned – but is instead concerned with hard data and tangible results, regardless of whether you would describe those results as good or bad. Both favourable and unfavourable results should be communicated to staff openly and fairly. Instead of pinpointing any areas that need improvement and calling them faults, the data should be used to inspire and motivate staff to adjust and improve, as well as provide a clear roadmap to enable them to do so. An audit is a tool for maximising and improving your business’s performance, and your staff are a vital part of that process.
Customer Perceptions are leaders in market research solutions. With 27 years of experience, we have developed bespoke research solutions to help our clients to enhance their customer experience, gain insight into their competitors, increase customer retention, monitor standards and ultimately, increase sales and revenue. We provide in-store audits to help businesses assess their performance as merchants or service providers. If you would like to learn more about our in-store audit services, and see how they can help you assess and improve your business, contact us for more information.
