How Mystery Shopping Can Help QSRs Evaluate Innovations & Promotions
The restaurant industry is evolving at an unprecedented pace. Brands are introducing customer-facing technology, new menu items, limited-time offers,...
6 min read
You’ve probably noticed it: shopping doesn’t look like it used to. As customer expectations evolve, stores are getting smarter, checkout lines are shorter (or disappearing entirely), and leading brands often seem to know what you want before you do. Retail is moving fast, blending technology and convenience in ways that feel fresh and, at times, a little experimental.
But for every slick new feature, there’s a bigger question. Is it actually improving the customer experience in retail, or just making it more complicated?
That’s where retail mystery shopping plays a crucial role. By stepping into the shoes of everyday customers, mystery shoppers help brands see what’s really happening on the floor, from how well new technology performs to whether employees are bringing it to life.
In this blog, we look at four innovations reshaping retail today and how mystery shopping helps ensure they are delivering where it matters most.
1. Augmented Reality (AR) Shopping Experiences
You love that sofa online. But will it fit, match your space, or just look totally off? You pull out the tape measure, and hope for the best. Then it arrives…and looks nothing like you pictured. Now it’s a return you didn’t plan for.
That’s exactly the kind of problem AR is solving. Augmented Reality has moved from novelty to mainstream in retail. By 2024 the global AR-in-retail market reached $19.9 billion and is expected to soar to $64+ billion by 2030. Shoppers love the ability to virtually preview and test products, with 61% of them preferring retailers that offer AR experiences, according to a NielsenIQ survey.
AR effectively bridges online and in-store experiences by letting customers visualize items in context, boosting confidence and even reducing returns. Generations that grew up digital-first are especially enthusiastic, making this initiative a key to engaging the next wave of shoppers and leading the charge in retail innovation.
Who’s Implementing It?
| IKEA | The IKEA Place app lets shoppers virtually place true-to-scale furniture in their homes before buying.1 |
| Sephora | Sephora’s Virtual Artist tool uses AR filters to allow customers to test makeup shades on their own selfies in real-time.2 |
| Warby Parker | Offers AR-powered try-ons so customers can see how different frames look on their face via a smartphone.3 |
| Nike | Nike Fit is an ever-improving AR tool to help customers measure their feet to recommend the right shoe size and style.4 |
How Mystery Shopping Can Help Evaluate this Retail Innovation:
| UX and Functionality | Is the experience smooth and does the product render accurately in size and color? |
| Impact on Purchase Decision | Does it help the shopper feel more certain about fit/style, influencing their decision to buy? |
| Employee Integration | Does the mystery shopper notice staff mentioning the AR app or guiding customers in using AR displays? |
| Cross-Channel Consistency | Does the virtual preview match the physical product, confirming AR meets expectations? |
Retail mystery shopping reveals how well new initiatives are executed and experienced by customers, helping brands ensure consistency across every location.
2. Mobile Checkout & Scan-and-Go Tech
You pop into a store for two things. Five minutes to shop, but fifteen in line. Now you’re stuck behind six packed carts, just to buy two items. At this point, wouldn’t you rather walk away?
Long checkout lines and clunky payment processes are becoming relics as mobile “Scan-and-Go” technology gains steam. Self-service checkouts are at an all-time high, and now, retailers are letting shoppers use their own smartphones to skip the line entirely.
Nearly 50% of Gen Z uses scan-and-go checkout, far outpacing older generations, proving just how important retail innovation can be. It’s clear that shoppers crave fast, tech-driven experiences. Retailers are noticing too, with predictions that mobile self-scanning will explode, tripling from 46,000 stores in 2021 to 160,000 by 2027. This shift is more than just a trend; it’s about reshaping how we shop, giving customers the power to check out on their terms.
Who’s Implementing It?
| A&W | Opening a new location in Texas with zero checkout counters and complete reliance on the Scan & Go app.5 |
| Wendy's | The Aldi in Aurora, Chicago offers checkout-free shopping with ALDIgo. Customers simply pick up items and walk out, while advanced computer vision cameras track all purchases. The Grabandgo mobile app checkout further streamlines the payment process.6 |
How Mystery Shopping Can Help Evaluate this Retail Innovation:
| Clarity of Process | Is the scan-and-go process clearly communicated? Are instructions easy to find and follow for first-time users? |
| App Performance | Does the app scan items quickly and accurately? Is the payment process smooth and instant, with no app crashes or delays? |
| In-Store Support & Security | Are employees readily available to assist with scan-and-go issues? Are security checkpoints efficient and courteous, balancing convenience with loss prevention? |
| Comparison to Traditional Checkout | How does the scan-and-go process compare to traditional checkout in terms of time and ease? |
Find Out How to Take Your Mystery Shopping Program to the Next Level.
3. Smart Shelves & Digital Pricing Displays
You find a jacket in the clearance section and the shelf says $19.99, score! But at checkout, it rings up $49.99. Now you’re awkwardly holding up the line, trying to explain that, no, it really was on the sale rack. Eventually, you return it, but not without feeling embarrassed.
It’s the kind of mix-up smart shelf technology is designed to eliminate. Smart shelves, featuring Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) and IoT sensors, are transforming retail pricing and inventory management. Valued at $1.36 billion in 2023, the global ESL market is projected to grow at 25% annually through 2032. ESL adoption is booming in North America too, with a 26.45% compound annual growth rate (CAGR), driven by industry leaders like Walmart and Home Depot.
Smart shelves offer instant price updates, reducing errors caused by some manual changes. Retailers also have the option to adjust to competitor pricing and stock levels in real-time, adopting dynamic pricing like in e-commerce. While subtle, this retail technology trend drastically improves consistency and can even enhance the shopper experience with richer info display.
Who’s Implementing It?
| Walmart U.S. | Expanding digital shelf labels to all 4,600+ stores, following successful 500-store pilots. This aims to improve price agility and inventory tracking for 120,000 items.7 |
| Kroger | Rolling out Microsoft-powered "Kroger EDGE" smart shelves that display prices, ads, and personalized offers using sensors, with some shelves integrating weight sensors to auto-detect low stock and trigger replenishment.8 |
| Best Buy | Utilizing electronic shelf labels to ensure accurate pricing and promotions.9 |
How Mystery Shopping Can Help Evaluate this Retail Innovation:
| Price Accuracy and Sync | Does the price on the digital tag match the checkout price? Are there any discrepancies, indicating system sync issues? |
| Clarity and Visibility | Are the digital labels easy to read and display key info? Is the screen update speed appropriate for shoppers to catch the details? |
| Dynamic Pricing or Promo Changes | Does the digital tag update seamlessly at the scheduled time for sales or promotions, like “happy hour” discounts? |
| Employee Interaction with Smart Shelves | Do employees use the smart shelf system to verify prices or locate items quickly? |
4. Innovation in Retail Delivery
You click “buy” and expect it tomorrow. Maybe even today. Slow delivery is no longer acceptable to the modern customer. In a world of instant everything, fast and flexible delivery is part of the experience, and retail needs to keep up.
Delivery is now a key frontier for innovation in retail, with brands using AI-powered logistics to direct-exchange models and real-time inventory visibility to move products faster and smarter. The global same-day delivery market was valued at $9.90 billion in 2024 and is projected to grow at a 20.6% CAGR from 2025 to 2030, highlighting how critical rapid fulfillment has become.
One of the most ambitious moves comes from Walmart, which announced a $520 million deal with Symbotic in early 2025 to deploy AI-powered, automated fulfillment centers in over 400 stores, accelerating warehouse operations and store-level delivery.
Two other major shifts are redefining retail delivery: the rise of the exchange economy and the growing focus on oversized item logistics. Instead of the traditional return-refund loop, some retailers now offer item swaps during delivery, helping cut costs and improve customer satisfaction.
At the same time, those embracing platforms like Roadie and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies are tapping into new opportunities for big and bulky deliveries, a category that has long been underserved despite strong demand.
Who’s Implementing It?
| Walmart | Investing in automated fulfillment centers to improve warehouse operations and store delivery. 10 Utilizing the Spark driver system to coordinate deliveries, having delivered over five billion items on the same day in the past year.11 |
| Amazon | Leveraging warehouse robotics and predictive AI to shorten delivery windows and improve fulfillment accuracy.12 |
| Roadie (UPS) | Helping retailers manage same-day and oversized deliveries through a crowdsourced driver network.13 |
| Amazon | Partnering with retailers like Walmart to bring drone delivery to thousands of households.14 |
How Mystery Shopping Can Help Evaluate this Retail Innovation:
| Delivery Time & Accuracy | Are delivery windows accurate and met? Is the right item delivered on time? |
| Package Condition | Is the item delivered in good condition? |
| Communication | Is the customer adequately informed throughout the delivery process? |
| Inventory Reliability | Is what’s listed as “in stock” actually available and fulfilled promptly? |
| Return or Exchange Experience | Are box-less returns or delivery-based exchanges simple and well-supported? |
| Alternative Delivery Methods | For services like drone deliveries, are instructions clear, and are the goods being “flown in" arriving in good condition? |
Want to dig deeper into how delivery and product availability impact the ideal customer experience? Discover the latest online shopping trends shaping what customers expect.
Conclusion
The modern customer craves change, and innovation in retail must evolve with them—responsibly. The brands leading the charge aren’t just adopting the latest tech and trends; they’re making sure these innovations truly work where it counts: in the hands of the customer.
That’s where mystery shopping comes in. Without understanding the customer’s perspective, innovation is just a shot in the dark. Mystery shopping gives you the insights to ensure your initiatives are hitting the mark. If you’re investing in the future of retail, it’s time to see how it’s really performing.
Curious if your latest upgrades are making an impact? Let’s find out together.
Retail Guide: Getting Your Store Ready for the Holiday Shopping Season
With back-to-school shopping wrapped up, retailers are now gearing up for the most important time of the year: the holiday season.
Top Retail Trends Enhancing Shopping Experiences
Retail trends and technologies, such as virtual queues, self-checkout, augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and retail media networks, are...