Heloise GRAS
Mystery shoppers: a dive into the heart of the retail customer experience
At Nestore, we lead mystery customer experiences to support our partners in their retail explorations. These immersions allow us to collaborate closely with them. Thanks to our field observations, we are always pushing the experiments around the customer experience further.
Our team lived this way, during our 8 years of expertise, the same experiences as the 7.5 million visitors of our 20 stores that created €210 million in turnover for our customers.
These numbers illustrate our strategy: to reveal every detail of the in-store experience. Our mystery shoppers”capture these invisible elements that shape or undermine the customer experience”, as explained by Anna, Customer Success at Nestore.

A thousand mystery shoppers guided by a well-tried method
According to the ICSC study “The Halo Effect, How Bricks Impacts Clicks”, 69% of consumers say they are ready to discover an emerging brand through a physical point of sale. Based on this observation, we have developed a methodology in three steps, designed to analyze and improve every moment of the customer journey:
- Before the visit: attracting and arousing curiosity
- Clarity of information on the website and in store : Is the information accessible and in line with consumer expectations?
- Showcase and first contact : An attractive window can transform a simple passer-by into a potential customer. As Lou, Head of Growth, points out: “The window can be love at first sight. If it attracts, the customer is already half won over.”

- During the visit: convince and transform
- Interactions with the seller: The first interaction with the staff is decisive. Warmth, listening, and personalized advice are major assets in turning a visit into a purchase.
- Product discovery: The layout and promotion of items are decisive in capturing attention and reflecting the brand image.
- After the visit: build loyalty and encourage return
- Shopping experience: The atmosphere and the fluidity of the course influence the final impression. Brands that offer immersive experiences, especially in pop-ups, are noticing a 22% increase subscriptions to their newsletter, according to an ICSC study “New retail formats engage customers”, which promotes long-term commitment.
A thousand perspectives on the in-store experience
But behind each visit lies a meticulous work of analysis. Mystery shoppers, like Michelin guide reviewers, test and evaluate every aspect of the customer experience, looking for the subtle details that mark exceptional service.
As Anna describes it:” Our mystery shoppers, like food critics, know how to spot the nuances that turn a simple visit into a memorable experience. ”
Each feedback is meticulously analyzed to develop concrete action plans. Brands can thus activate targeted levers. These transformations in the customer experience make it more adapted to the target customers and boost long-term performance: Pop-up stores, for example, generate an average increase of 17% of online sales in the months following their surgery, according to a Climb by Nestore study.
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A thousand opportunities to rethink the store experience
With each visit, we enrich our field observations through a comparison with our database and the experiences accumulated during similar missions. This allows us to quickly identify friction points or discrepancies in the customer experience that need to be corrected.
This feedback, rooted in proven expertise, paves the way for concrete adjustments: perfecting the window, optimizing the buying process or strengthening the effectiveness of interactions with sellers. The objective is clear: to refine every detail to a premium experience in perfect harmony with the identity of the brand.
The results speak for themselves: 73% of customers estimate that a striking retail experience may influence their loyalty, according to the ICSC study “New retail formats engage customers”. These 1000 Immersions Climb by Nestore are not only observations, but also opportunities to evolve and refine the customer experience.
Advancing together towards an ideal customer experience
Taking a step back from your retail strategies is not always easy. Chez Climb by Nestore, we support you to transform field data into concrete levers for improvement, with a human approach and Personalized. Because each store has unique potential, we are here to help you exploit it.
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