Mystery Shopping – Market Force Catches Retail Eyes
World’s leading provider of customer intelligence using mystery shopping, customer satisfaction surveys, retail audit and in-store point of sale, benefits from U.K. company’s client list of 100 of Europe’s leading high street brands.
World’s No. 1 Customer Intelligence & Mystery Shopping Company Expands Worldwide Operation
The world’s top customer intelligence solutions company, Market Force Information (Market Force) has expanded it’s worldwide operation through the acquisition of Retail Eyes, the U.K. based customer experience and mystery shopping provider. This is the fifth acquisition by Market Force as it continues to pioneer the business-to-consumer customer intelligence market. Both companies have a range of customer intelligence offerings that include mystery shopping, customer satisfaction surveys and in-store auditing.
Market Force will be adding more than 100 clients to its existing top quality list and plans to create a European Center of Excellence. Retail Eyes also brings 300,000 mystery shopping contractors and retail auditors to add to Market Force’s similar number. Market Force expects its 2011 income to reach $70 million with the addition of $13 million from the Retail Eyes operation.
Karl Maier, Market Force’s CEO says “We help many of the world’s leading brands to do what matters most to them – delight their customers across every store to drive growth and profitability. As the world becomes increasingly global, our customers need to drive consistent performance across every store, whether in New York, London, Toronto or Berlin There is no question that Retail Eyes has the most sophisticated customer intelligence business in the UK, with a rapidly growing European practice This acquisition will enable us to serve our multi-national clients, as well as extend our services to new markets that have huge potential for growth.”
European HQ For Mystery Shopping Operation
The acquisition will allow Market Force to create a European headquarters using Retail Eyes’ U.K. infrastructure. Retail Eyes helps household names such as Pret A Manger, Subway and Nandos to maintain top levels of customer service in all of their retail outlets.
Market Force has used its dominant position as provider of customer intelligence solutions to B2C companies to create market leading analytical models that provide the most sophisticated feedback to their clients.
Sahir Anand, vice president and principal analyst with Aberdeen Group, sees customer intelligence as providing a new future for managing the customer experience. “By pulling together multiple threads of consumer data – from mystery shopping, to customer satisfaction measurement, to 800-call center data, to social media – and coupling them with store financial metrics, retailers can understand the gaps associated with end-to-end customer experience before, during and after the sale This approach is critical to improving customer conversion, margin and revenue.” Anand adds, “As the second acquisition in this year alone, this acquisition indicates that Market Force is serious about leading in this new space and growing internationally. We will be watching their performance with great interest over the coming months.”
Tim Ogle of Retail Eyes said, “The market for customer intelligence solutions is just beginning to explode in the UK and Europe, and we want to be at the forefront. We already have some of the most highly valued brands in the UK as clients. They appreciate how getting the customer experience right with every visit drives their success. The scale, product repertoire and Ph.D analytics that Market Force offers, in combination with our UK and European expertise, makes us a formidable force together in a blossoming international market.”
About Retail Eyes
Launched in the UK in 2003, Retail Eyes is the leading provider of customer experience improvement programs in the UK and Europe. Combining the best compliance methodologies in mystery shopping, customer satisfaction surveys, retail audit and in-store point of sale (PoS), Retail Eyes works with over 100 of the UK and Europe’s leading retailers, restaurants and hospitality providers. Learn more at www.retaileyes.co.uk.
About Market Force Information
Market Force Information, Inc. is the leading global customer intelligence solutions company for multi-location businesses including major retailers, restaurants, grocery and convenience stores, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies. Visit the Market Force Information website for more information about Market Force and their customer intelligence solutions including mystery shopping opportunities.
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