Improving customer experience? This is how Marie-Stella-Maris approaches it with mystery shopping

At Marie-Stella-Maris, social impact is woven into the company’s DNA. A fixed percentage of 2.5% of revenue goes to sustainable water projects around the world. In addition, the products consist of at least 96% natural ingredients. The mission, sustainability, design, and unique fragrances all play an important role in the brand story. These elements come together in the stores, and to better understand the customer journey, we’ve been conducting customer experience research for Marie-Stella-Maris at all locations since November 2024.

Company: Marie-Stella-Maris

Industry: Personal care  

Locations: Nine in the Netherlands, one in Belgium

Client since: 2024

Services: Customer Experience Research‍

Interviewed: Janneke van der Lugt, Retail Operations Director

We meet Janneke at the cozy, bustling Marie-Stella-Maris store on the Keizersgracht in Amsterdam. She has now been working at the scale-up for over 1.5 years and brings more than 26 years of retail experience in various roles and organizations. As Retail Operations Director, she’s responsible for the entire retail branch, the fastest-growing part of the company. In her current role, she’s closely involved in setting up and introducing the customer experience research at Marie-Stella-Maris.

Why did Marie-Stella-Maris choose Secret View as a mystery shopping partner?

Janneke: “At a previous employer, I was already introduced to Secret View’s way of working. Before I got to know Secret View, I had a different image of mystery shoppers, like an older man in a raincoat walking through the store with a magnifying glass to see what’s going wrong. Fortunately, that’s not how Secret View works, and that shouldn't be the goal of mystery shopping either. Real consumers who have an affinity with the product visits the store. That gives you honest feedback and insight into the customer journey. It fits us as a scale-up. We're growing so fast, you really need to keep an eye on whether the customer experience remains up to par.”

“Everything for us revolves around experience. People enter the world of Marie, and Secret View helps us see that experience through the customer’s eyes. ‘What does the store look like? How am I helped? Am I informed about special promotions and Marie-Stella-Maris’ mission?’ That’s what we need Secret View’s honest insights for.”

How is the mystery shopping research set up?

Janneke: “The focus is on the total store experience: from the first impression when entering to the moment someone walks out the door. Are you greeted? Do they listen well to what you’re looking for? Do they think along with you? And of course: does it feel like a luxurious, welcoming experience? Our team members aren’t salespeople, but advisors who tell a story. You should feel that as a customer.”

“Marie-Stella-Maris is a premium brand. You need to create an experience. With mystery shopping, you can monitor and improve all aspects of the customer journey, from welcome to brand story to leaving the store. It gives so much insight. It helps prioritize training. That fits us as a scale-up, we’re always looking for ways to improve.”

What insights has the mystery shopping research provided so far?

Janneke: “The research made us more aware of the details. For example, we’ve seen that a simple greeting really makes a difference. But overall, things are going well. That’s not a surprise, but there’s always room for improvement. People feel comfortable in our stores, they feel welcome thanks to personal advice and extensive service. We have a great story with our design, sustainable ingredients, and our mission. It’s still a challenge to communicate all that information authentically. People mainly come for the scents, of course, but sustainability and our mission are also very important.”

Alexandra Kox, Senior Boutique Manager of Marie-Stella-Maris Keizersgracht, adds: “It really resonates, all my colleagues very engaged with it, and we immediately check what the scores are. They bring the results to the store and discuss them together.”  

How do you use the customer experience data for training?

Janneke: “The overall customer journey scores well, but there’s room for improvement in sales. We see that cross- and upselling could be better. Customers are very well assisted, but key parts of the journey still lag behind.”

“We’re now working with Mobietrain to develop training programs for our team members. Thanks to the customer experience data, we now have the input we need to improve. This allows us to adjust per location with modular training, along with a store manager who can demonstrate and monitor the right approach.”

How do you handle the results internally at different levels?

Janneke: “At first, everyone in the stores found it a bit nerve-wracking. Now they mainly see it as feedback and input for improvement. I discuss the results with the store managers and see who needs what training. ‘What’s already going well and where can we still improve?’ There’s a positive atmosphere around it now and they embrace the feedback. It helps them do their jobs better and grow and develop in their roles.”

What advice would you give other retailers who want to start with customer experience research?

Janneke: “Think carefully about the case and the questionnaire and how it aligns with the customer journey. Good preparation is essential. You also don’t want to overload the mystery shopper, so really think about what you want to know. Make sure you have enough internal support, because mystery shopping still has an image problem. People often associate it with strict control. But make the investment, because you get great insights into the customer journey and the overall customer experience.”

Want to improve your customer journey like Marie-Stella-Maris?

We’ve got years of experience in customer experience research across hospitality, fashion, services, personal care, cinemas, and many more sectors. Plus, we have a global network of local communities with over 65,000 mystery shoppers. They’re already visiting your stores, what do you want to know from them?

Request a free, no-obligation mystery shopping pilot today.