A field visit does not begin at the shop door. Useful intelligence of the external environment can be captured by a structured audit of the external environment prior to the surveyor entering the store.
Car Park Capacity and Occupancy
Counting available car park spaces, and assessing occupancy at the time of the visit, enables Brand Owners to assess whether a Brand’s Store is truly accessible and functioning effectively on a typical Trading Day, explaining retail numbers that in-store data has failed to explain.
Entrance Signage and Visibility
Poor signage at the approach to or entrance of a store can prevent footfall to the store, often without the retailer’s knowledge. Audit of the entrance signage (store name, opening times, etc) is recorded from the pavement and from within the car park entrance.
External Promotional Materials
Check Window displays, banners and A-boards against what was agreed with the external parties and report any missing, damaged or obscured.
Queuing Behaviour
A short queue outside of a store at the right time of day is evidence of genuine demand at that time. The length of the queue and how quickly they are moving will form part of the overall footfall estimate for that store.
Nearby Competitor Presence
This information tells the brand owner about the amount of competition that the store is up against. The external promotional activity from competitors also provides useful information. This information is included in a typical field audit as part of the standard investigation. A Data Collection Company provides field audit services, including competitor checks as a standard part of their investigation.
All of the above measures enable the creation of a complete external view of the retail environment.
Leave a Reply