The Grocer is upping the ante with major enhancements to its flagship Grocer 33 mystery shopping competition for the start of the new annual competition kicking off this week.
Among the changes the biggest will involve mystery shoppers shopping all five supermarkets in a single location each week to make each win even more meaningful, while the methodology has also been updated to score supermarkets on their self-checkout services.
“Winning the Grocer 33 is for many store managers a career highlight but this heightened, hyper-local competition will give the winning store even greater cause to celebrate, as it will be able to claim not only it is the store of the week, but the best supermarket in its town or city,” explained The Grocer editor-in-chief Adam Leyland.
Assessing supermarkets on their management of self checkout machines was also crucial to reflect their near-universal usage, added Leyland.
“The rollout of self checkout machines has been controversial but as The Grocer’s research shows they are also increasingly popular with shoppers. So we needed to find a way to test customer service and execution using the wide range of self-checkout options. And we’ve confident we’ve been able to do that. But at the same time we’ve ensured surveys will continue to measure till-based checkout operators too.”
In another first, Marks & Spencer will also be included in the guest retailer mystery shop programme, reflecting the growing number of M&S Foodhalls where a full shop is now possible.
And a number of themed shops will also be added over the course of the annual competition to provide further interest and coverage.
The mystery shops will be conducted by Assosia’s network of field marketing experts for the first time to provide nationwide coverage at scale.
Read the all-new Grocer 33:
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Morrisons crowned best supermarket in Ipswich in Grocer 33 mystery shop
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Store manager Patricia Webb on running Ipswich’s best supermarket
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Asda pips Tesco in first price comparison of new Grocer 33 year
The Grocer uses Assosia’s Price & Promotions platform to power the Grocer 33’s weekly price comparison surveys. And Assosia managing director Kay Staniland said she was thrilled to strengthen Assosia’s partnership with The Grocer. “We are completely invested in the delivery of the Grocer 33, and work very closely with The Grocer to ensure the competition remains as vital and relevant as ever.
CACI will provide further insight for the mystery shops through insights into the locations we visit, together with demographics concerning shopper types.
Added Leyland: “Together these changes represent a significant further investment in the Grocer 33 programme, following extensive changes to the pricing and promotion side of the Grocer 33 competition in 2024, as a result of which we incorporated loyalty pricing into our price comparison surveys.”
The first single-location mystery shop, which took place in Ipswich, was won by the 39,000 sq ft Morrisons.
Launched in 1997, the Grocer 33 is an independent tool measuring supermarket pricing, in-store and online customer service, and supply chain effectiveness.
The weekly scores are used to calculate the winner of three annual Grocer Gold Awards. The results for the current Grocer 33 will be announced at a ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall on 8 July.
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