StORES Magazine - September 2007 - (Page L14) MYSTERY SHOPPING Shedding New Light on Customer Experience Secret shopper program shifts focus at Yankee Candle BY MICHAEL HARTNETT Y ankee Candle generated double-digit gains in sales, income and comparable-store results during fiscal 2006, thanks in large measure to a winning formula in store operations and customer service. How would it maintain that momentum? The key may well be a mystery shopper program that monitors activities at the company’s 400-plus stores, identifying lapses in adherence to successful customer service procedures and programs. The company positions itself as the leading designer, manufacturer, wholesaler and retailer of premium scented candles. In addition to Yankee Candle retail stores, the company also operates Illuminations stores, about 15 outlet stores, a North American wholesale customer network with more than 17,000 locations, directL14 STORES / SEPTEMBER 2007 Mystery shopping programs can produce: Higher average ticket dollars More average items per transaction Lower associate turnover mail catalogs and e-commerce sites. Beginning in April, Yankee Candle expanded its relationship with Milford, Mass.-based LP Innovations to include mystery shopper services from its ICU Associates affiliate. ICU’s pro- grams are designed “to fully interpret customer perception and detect, identify and correct potential problems” before they become real obstacles to the client’s growth. “The main thing we set out to accomplish with our [new] mystery shopper program was to have it reflect the selling culture,” says Mark Rachmaciej, retail LP manager for Yankee Candle. “We wanted to go from catching them [store managers and associates] doing something wrong to doing something right. Our secret shoppers are showing us our mistakes. “We want to use that information in our training, and we want to change the store managers’ perspective and have them look at these [findings] in a positive way rather than a ‘not in my WWW.LPINFORMATION.COM http://WWW.LPINFORMATION.COM
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