When you’re launching a new store, it’s easy to get swept up in the excitement.
New branding. Fresh uniforms. Fully stocked shelves. You’re ready to make a splash.
And then comes the question every retail leader eventually asks:
“Where do we start with customer experience measurement?”
Surveys? QR codes? Net Promoter Scores?
Not yet.
Why Feedback Too Early Can Mislead You
When a new store opens, everything feels fresh. Customers are excited. Staff are energised. The buzz is real.
That same buzz, though, skews feedback. You’ll likely get inflated results because customers are impressed by the newness alone.
Surveys and NPS rely on emotional response, and early on, those responses don’t give you an accurate read on performance.
They just tell you what you want to hear.
So instead of chasing early feedback, start with something more grounded: mystery shopping.
Start With What You Can Control
In the early stages of a store opening, you don’t need to know how customers feel.
You need to know whether your strategy is being executed.
Are your processes working as planned?
Is your staff trained properly?
Can they find stock, explain products, and close a sale?
Is the shop clean, functional, and easy to navigate?
Mystery shopping answers those questions.
It gives you objective, actionable insight about the customer journey from the very first step.
One national brand I spoke with was opening a new store concept. They were ready to measure everything — NPS, digital surveys, the lot. But the most valuable thing they could do at that point wasn’t gather sentiment. It was to verify if their vision was hitting the floor.
That’s the thing: execution before evaluation.
The Takeaway
New stores don’t fail because customers leave bad reviews.
They fail when what’s supposed to happen… doesn’t.
So if you’re rolling out a new concept, skip the feel-good surveys for now.
Focus on getting the basics right. Mystery shop it. See it through the customer’s eyes. And only then should you start collecting feedback.
Because when the foundations are solid, the feedback will actually mean something.
