Point of sale can have enormous benefits when designed correctly. If the design is poor and the thought process for designing it minimal it becomes confusing for the customer and can in fact, have the opposite effect.

Here are two examples of how it can differ. Both are designed to advise the customer on an electrical appliance but one is far superior and will inform the customer of the product more effectively.

First of all I want to raise the guidance given to staff by companies, quite rightly they ask them to talk to the customer about how a product will benefit. The benefit tells them what the feature will do for them; a feature may be limited in its ability to educate the customer by revealing its use. Despite this, some retail outlets persist in creating customer information in the form of point of sale which refers only to the feature, totally contradicting the sales training they give to staff.

Consider the picture below, POS for a camera. Unless they have previously completed their own research about the product or have a technical background, would the customer know why they should select a camera with 72 mega pixels as opposed to one with more or less?

Is ‘compatible with PRO Duo’ an important feature? Only the customers that know what ‘PRO Duo’ is would know the answer to that. What about 3x optifocal zoom and 6x digital zoom, will every prospective customer know if they need it? It leads me to ask the question ‘What’s the point’ of point of sale that doesn’t tell the customer anything. Perhaps the thought process is to encourage the customer to ask a member or staff. Easy for the confident customer to do if they can find a member of staff, but what about the unconfident customer who may feel foolish if they admit to having little knowledge about the product.

In my mind the presence of the feature indicates that the author is concluding that the reader should already know the benefit. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news – some don’t and any store displaying such POS could potentially alienate customers and lose sales.

If we compare the POS on the picture below a key feature with its benefits is displayed clearly and boldly. Straight away the customer is informed how the large 1.8” screen and easy to use interface on the MP3 video player will benefit them.
Following on key features are displayed as icons with a simple clear associated benefit.

Reading this information has given me a much greater knowledge of the product. As a customer I can make a more informed decision to buy or decide if the product is suitable or insufficient for my needs without the help of a sales person.

This is a great example of simple and effective point of sale with ‘a point’.

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1. Print out and read your report details well before you visit.

A lot of mystery shoppers will do their assignments out of office hours, so make sure you give yourself time to phone up and ask any questions before your assignment and report is due. This reduces the risk of having to repeat your visit, or submitting poor reports.

2. Type up your reports as soon as you can.

Handwrite notes against your report questions immediately after your trip, and type up at your first opportunity. If you leave your report until the last minute, you may forget important details.

3. Use leading questions to get the information you need.

This will vary depending on the assignment, but giving examples of what you might need the product or service for - relating to your present, past or a friend’s situation can often help. For example “I’ve just moved house, and was wondering what broadband options were available in my area”.

When you’re given a mystery shopping assignment, you’ll usually be given some leading questions that may help if your struggling to get your advisor to volunteer the information you need. We’re also generating a list of useful questions on the blog to help you, and we’d love to hear some of your examples. Just add your comments below.

4. If you’ve been hovering and no-one has approached you, approach them discreetly.

Try to be as natural as you can - because if your victim suspects they are being mystery shopped they will perform differently and your results will be skewed. Asking for the time, directions, or smiling and saying hello may be all you need to strike up a conversation.

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