Expertise · 03
Field Intelligence
See what is actually happening in the market.
Because sometimes the truth is on the shelf, not in the spreadsheet. Field intelligence gives you direct evidence from the commercial environment: what customers encounter, what competitors are doing and how products and services actually perform.
Retail execution, observed in the field
What we investigate
Direct evidence from the commercial environment.
Retail audits
Product availability, visibility, pricing, promotions, shelf presence and execution.
Mystery shopping
Assess the customer experience without relying solely on internal reporting.
Competitor analysis
Observe competitor stores, products, pricing, promotions and customer experience.
Price checks
Understand what customers are actually seeing in the market.
Availability checks
Identify distribution gaps, stock issues and differences between intended and actual availability.
Customer experience
Assess the experience customers receive at each relevant touchpoint.
Channel checks
Understand how products move through the commercial ecosystem.
Why field intelligence matters
What is supposed to happen — and what actually happens.
A company may believe
“We are widely distributed.”
The market may say
“I can’t find the product.”
A brand may believe
“Our service experience is excellent.”
A mystery shopper may find
Something very different.
A competitor may advertise one price online while customers encounter another in store. Field intelligence closes the gap.
Mystery shopping
Mystery shopping, designed to produce evidence.
Mystery shopping assesses the customer experience as it genuinely occurs. Programmes are built around a clear business question, realistic scenarios, a meaningful sample of locations and observable criteria — and conducted within clear ethical limits.
- The business question
- Realistic scenarios
- A meaningful sample
- Observable, consistent criteria
- Structured evidence and patterns
Particularly valuable for FMCG
What we can monitor at the point of sale.
- Shelf presence
- SKU availability
- Competitor pricing
- Promotional activity
- Merchandising
- Packaging
- Brand visibility
- Retailer execution
- Competitor launches
- Distribution
- In-store customer experience
Deliverables
Evidence from the field.
Depending on the project, outputs can include:
- Structured observations
- Competitive comparisons
- Pricing information
- Availability data
- Photographic evidence where permitted
- Mystery-shopping reports
- Store-level findings
- Patterns and anomalies
- Actionable recommendations
Selected engagements
Field intelligence in practice.
Client identities are protected. What we can share is the question, the approach and the outcome.
Understanding a consumer-products category
How is the category structured, who are the major competitors and what factors influence consumer choice?
Read the case note
Understanding the reality beyond reported performance
How does the customer experience compare across relevant competitors and locations?
Read the case note
Can you investigate competitors?
Yes. Competitive intelligence can include competitor mapping, pricing, products, positioning, distribution, retail presence, customer experience and other relevant dimensions — always within the limits of what is ethically permissible.
Do you conduct mystery shopping?
Yes. Mystery shopping is one of the field-intelligence methodologies we use to investigate customer experience and commercial execution.
Can you conduct research in specific locations?
Yes. Projects can be designed around particular cities, regions, channels, customer segments or other geographic criteria where appropriate.
Start a conversation
Don’t guess what is happening. Go and look.
Tell us what you need to verify in the market. We will design the field programme around the decision it should inform.