"This has been a natural development as this part of our business has been growing substantially in recent years", states Charlotte Jackson, Managing Director at Synovate. "The project team itself has more than doubled and we have formal structures and systems in place to support the business which includes the recent appointment of a Mystery Shopping Director- Samantha Lloyd".
Samantha Lloyd has been with Synovate since 2001 and has invaluable insight into the research industry, processes and operational requirements of a marketing research company. Samantha previously fulfilled the role of Operations Director where she managed all the operational elements and was responsible for the strategic operational planning of the business in line with emerging research needs and solutions. As Mystery Shopping Business Unit Director, she will be responsible for business development, innovation, improving efficiency and the quality of delivery offered to our clients.
Synovate's Mystery Shopping business has grown substantially over the last 5 years - at more than 10% annually - as more and more clients see the value it offers. Newly appointed Mystery Shopping Business Unit Director, Samantha Lloyd comments that "The insight offered by mystery shopping into both staff and customer behaviour is significant and clients are placing increasing value in their mystery shopping programmes. We envisage the growth in mystery shopping to continue at a higher rate following the establishment of Mystery Shopping as a separate business unit.
What this means for Synovate, and for our clients, is that we now have dedicated resources in this area of the business, including research staff, data collection, video-editing and technologically advanced reporting tools."
Synovate is currently able to conduct walk-in and telephonic mystery shopping as well as product and price auditing (incorporating real-time data entry). Data collection is facilitated by the use of PDA's for real-time data entry as well as the use of hidden video cameras for stealth recording of the events during a mystery shop. Synovate's telephonic shops also offer recording technologies for comprehensive and detailed reporting.
"What really differentiates Synovate's offering is our custom-built mystery shopping platform which controls the Mystery Shopping process from sample management through to report generation," stresses Lloyd. "We can now look forward to continued innovation and dedicated support to our clients through the business unit - which means a far superior product offering as well as flexibility with regards to meeting client requirements", she concludes.
About Synovate
Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc, generates consumer insights that drive competitive marketing solutions. The network provides clients with cohesive global support and a comprehensive suite of research solutions. Synovate employs over 6, 000 staff in 121 cities across 63 countries.
More information on Synovate can be found at www.synovate.com and www.synovate.com/southafrica.
