Mystery Shopper is getting ready for the party season and wants to take plenty of quality pictures in low light conditions with the option of geo tagging and uploading to social networking sites.
O2 Store
The store was very busy and I could only see three sales people on the shop floor; I looked around and found myself playing with the iPhone display whilst awaiting attention. After ten minutes I was approached by a friendly saleswoman; I advised her that I was looking for a phone with a camera that works in low light and Geo Tagging for my pictures. As we were stood next to the iPhone display it was the initial handset of choice for discussion; I explained that I had been playing with it for the last ten minutes and was impressed with the variety of applications and features but had noticed the camera did not have a flash, so I didn’t feel it was going to give me the picture quality I desired. “Ok, let’s have a look at another option” She stated.
The Blackberry Bold was the next recommendation;”The camera has an LED flash for low light and a 2MP camera so the quality is good. It also takes video.” “From the camera menu, you can enable GeoTagging which, when you open up maps shows the location at which the photo was taken.” “Have you a handset with a greater resolution camera than 2MP? I’ve heard that there is a new Sony Ericsson Satio?”
“That this is the best resolution camera phone available, but I’m not sure if you can Geo Tag the pictures; I don’t have one to show you I’m afraid.” “From the handsets we have available today, I would say the Blackberry Bold is the best one for you.”
At this point I expected to move onto tariffs but instead the conversation just ended; in a bid to prompt a bit more information I requested a brochure, which I was provided, but the discussion was over. I thanked the lady for her time and left the store. I must admit being a little perplexed as the sales process, up to that point, had gone very well. Perhaps the comment concerning the Satio had given the impression that this was what I was after, which was not the case.
The visit started well with comparative products available in store to ‘see and try’ but ended too quickly without fully exploring the sale opportunity.
Product Range ***
Product knowledge ****
Airtime Knowledge
Questioning Ability ***
Sales Ability **
Shop Appearance ****
16 out of 30
Chitter Chatter
The store windows were full of POS advertising deals for Blackberry, Nokia and Sony.
Inside the store all the handsets were displayed in cabinets, which I browsed for a short while before I was approached by a member of staff.
I advised him of my needs and his reply was swift and concise “You should consider the Nokia N86, Blackberry Curve and the Satio (Sony Ericsson). The Nokia hadn’t been mentioned before, so it was my first choice “Take a seat, I’ll go and fetch a handset to give you a demo” the sales advisor commented.
A quick trip into the stockroom retrieved a new N86 “It’s got an 8MP camera with a wide angle Carl Zeiss lens, 8GB internal memory, auto focus and a flash for low light conditions like parties”;”It’s also really easy to tag your photos with your location with the GPS feature of the phone”. The salesman went on to show messaging, internet applications and Nokia maps with route planning. He gave a very comprehensive demonstration that appealed to my obvious curiosity.
“What about the Satio?” I asked hoping for a similar level of product demonstration. “It has a better camera resolution (12MP) than the Nokia and a number of camera settings” he replied, as the Nokia was packed away.”Is there some information about it and the tariffs available?” I asked, still hopeful. “I’ll get you a phone guide”; unfortunately the sales process appeared to finish. Shame, as I would have liked to had a demonstration of the other two products also.
I found good customer service in-store supported, with a thorough understanding and enthusiasm for the Nokia N86, which made the visit interesting and enjoyable. In terms of answering my initial request the job was done, a model was selected and demonstrated with assurance, but the final part of the sales process was missed.
Product Range ***
Product knowledge ****
Airtime Knowledge
Questioning Ability ***
Sales Ability ***
Shop Appearance ****
17 out of 30
Carphone Warehouse
The store was really busy and I had to queue to speak to the next available salesman. During this time I had a good look around the many displays in store with numerous Christmas orientated offers, along with now ever present iPhone live demonstration area.
After ten minutes of queuing I was approached by a well dressed salesman and asked if I required some help. We sat down at a nearby sales table and I explained my situation, he then asked me some specific questions and inputted the details on his computer; a quick search later and up came a whole range of applicable handsets. “What would you recommend?” I asked. He advised me the Sony Ericsson Satio was the best camera phone available at the moment, but due to software problems all Carphone Warehouse stores have had to take the Satio off the system until further notice. That might explain the lack of product demonstration in some of the other stores visited.
“My favourite phone is the Sony Ericsson W995 because it is so simple to use and has great features”;”It’s got an 8.1MP camera, GPS and Wi-Fi for quick internet browsing”. “You should also consider the iPhone; its camera doesn’t have a flash but the ease of use and range of other features make up for it”. The salesman’s enthusiasm was contagious and I was almost starting to think I needed a new phone.
His knowledge of a number of handsets was good and I looked forward to receiving a full, hands-on demo to seal the deal, but alas, once the verbal recommendations were complete no offer of a demonstration came or relevant tariff information.
Offering a final lifeline, I asked for some written material to check details about the phone and tariffs. It was given to me with a smile but no more. I thanked my sales assistant for their time and left the store.
Product Range ****
Product knowledge ****
Airtime Knowledge
Questioning Ability ****
Sales Ability ***
Shop Appearance *****
21 out of 30
3 Store
The focus in 3 was clearly on internet for everyone, this was reflected by the masses of POS at the front of the store as you walk in and the window displays. The bright lights and clear handset sections were great to see. I hadn’t passed the threshold before a salesperson made eye contact and asked if he could help.
I explained my reasons for being in-store stated that I needed some advice. “In my opinion the Blackberry Bold would be a good choice for you”; “it’s the only one we have which offers you all the services you have listed”. I prompted the salesperson for a demonstration and, as if by magic, a Blackberry Bold appeared from his top pocket. It was clear that he knew the product inside out quickly navigating the menus showing me the key features including the 2MP camera, Facebook application and MP3 player before selecting Blackberry maps. “This will pinpoint where you are using the GPS functionality”, “What about Geo-Tagging my pictures I’ve taken?” A frustrated look passed over his face, “I’m afraid I don’t know how to do that, I would need to look it up for you”.”That’s ok, don’t worry for now. What tariffs would be available for this phone?”. “The 18 month, £30 per month Blackberry tariff gives you 500 cross network minutes, Unlimited Texts with Email and Internet access. This is specifically designed for the Blackberry Bold.”
Armed with the plenty of information I requested a brochure to help me remember the details, I was quickly gifted the Three Phone Guide to which I thanked the sales person for their time and exited the store.
The visit had been very informative with a good level of product knowledge demonstrated regarding the Blackberry Bold; not quite enough to show me how to Geo Tag a photo and more phones would have been nice, but maybe this is an unusual request? The specific tariff for the Blackberry Bold seems to offer reasonable value, but with no other applicable handsets to compare against it was difficult to judge.
Product Range ***
Product knowledge ****
Airtime Knowledge ****
Questioning Ability ***
Sales Ability ***
Shop Appearance ****
22 out of 30
Orange
It was clear to see the iPhone 3GS was now for sale as I approached the orange and black liveried store. As I entered I was lucky enough to hear a customer praising a salesman for the level of customer service he had just given her, so I positioned myself to be next for his attention.
After explaining the type of phone I was searching for the salesman advised me that the iPhone 3GS comes with GeoTagging and is really easy to use, although due to the level of quality I required from the camera I might be better off with the Sony Ericsson Satio. A good start, maybe finally I will get to play with the infamous Sony Satio.
I asked if it was possible to have a look at the Satio and immediately one was opened in front of me. I sat down with the salesman and we discussed and played with the phone for 15 minutes; “It’s got a 12.1MP camera, the highest resolution available on a handset at the moment and includes a proper flash.” “In addition to that there are camera settings to help with different photo situations like twilight or face recognition”; “I didn’t need to prompt the salesman in any way as he moved on to GeoTagging and Maps, although the next part took the demo to a level not experienced during the visits up to this point. I was encouraged to walk the store taking pictures and then shown how to tag them with my GPS position.
The conversation moved to the Satio tariffs “The handset is free on a £39.15 per month contract which would give you 1200mins, 500Mb of data, Orange Sat Nav and one of the following dependent on your selection, Dolphin – Unlimited Text, Racoon – Unlimited landline calls or Panther – Unlimited email”. An Orange phone guide magazine detailing all the tariffs was given to me for further reading to which I said my goodbyes and made for the door.
It was good to see the Satio, as my curiosity had peaked and I wasn’t disappointed; all that was missing was a similar product recommendation to compare it against.
Product Range *****
Product knowledge *****
Airtime Knowledge ****
Questioning Ability ****
Sales Ability ****
Shop Appearance *****
28 out of 30
Vodafone
The Vodafone store was bright and colourful and had plenty of POS in the window. I was drawn to the impressive Samsung 360 H1 (A Vodafone exclusive handset) display stand. The automated demonstration drew my eye as soon as I entered the store giving me the phones key features.
“Can I help you?” asked an interested salesman; he had noticed me as I had been looking at the 360 H1 display. I relayed my requirements as we sat down at a sales desk to discuss my options. “I would say from your requirements there are 3 main options for you, a Blackberry, the Sony Ericsson Satio or the new Samsung 360 H1.” “Let’s start with the Samsung”
Using a live product I was shown a long list of features from the new focus handset for Vodafone. It has been heavily advertised on TV and is designed to allow views of all your social networks without the need to flip between sites. “The camera is 5MP with a flash for your party photos; it also has a number of settings to help in different environments and also has a zoom”. “Once you have taken a photo you can pinpoint your location and tag it.” Throughout the demonstration I was shown exactly what menus to select and buttons to press, before having a go myself. Much better than just being handed a phone you have never used and expecting to know how to operate it. We went on through messaging, having colour specific friend groups, downloading apps and mobile TV.
To really drive home the point I was given a comparison between the Satio and the Samsung 360 H1 for picture quality and speed of use which the Samsung won. As the demonstration went on I really felt I had a use for all the features, a testament to the quality of the sales pitch being given. “The 360 H1 is free when you take a £30 per month, 24 month contract which gives you 600 anytime minutes, unlimited texts and mobile internet access. It really is a good deal and handset.”
I left the store with additional information in hand. The mystery shop had included all of the criteria expected, understanding my needs, narrowing the range of phones, demonstration and subjective comparison and finished with a satisfactory tariff recommendation.
Product Range *****
Product knowledge *****
Airtime Knowledge *****
Questioning Ability *****
Sales Ability *****
Shop Appearance *****
30 out of 30
Winning Salesman
Name: Antony Chamberlain
Age: 19
Interests: Making music, Football, Socialising
Length of service: 2 years (2 months in this store)
Favourite Handset: Samsung 360 H1 (Black)
Store Round-up
1. Vodafone: Recommended Samsung 360 H1 – £30 per month, 24 month contract, 600 anytime minutes, unlimited texts and mobile internet access, free handset
2. Orange: Sony Ericsson Satio – 1200mins, 500Mb of data, Orange Sat Nav and one of the following dependent on your selection, Dolphin – Unlimited Text, Racoon – Unlimited landline calls or Panther – Unlimited email
3. Three Store: Blackberry Bold – £30 per month, 18 month contract, 500 cross network minutes, Unlimited Texts with Email and Internet access
4. Carphone Warehouse: Sony Ericsson W995 – No tariff specified
5. O2: Blackberry Bold – No tariff specified
Mobile News Mystery Shopper – Best Camera phone for photos at parties