In-store promotion and customer feedback: getting real insight from the shop floor

In-store promoters can do more than sell: placed in key sections of a store, they can ask shoppers short, consistent questions about offers and experience, record the answers the same way in every store, and give the brand a clear picture of what customers think and where stores have problems, while the campaign is still running.

Why the shop floor is the best place to listen

Customers are most honest about an offer or a store while they are in it. Online surveys arrive late and are answered by few people. A trained promoter on the floor can catch the reaction at the moment of decision: why someone chose a product, why they walked away, what confused them about an offer.

Touchvane deployed promoters across an electronics retail chain's stores throughout Kerala during an Onam campaign to collect customer feedback on the offers and the store experience, identifying store-level issues across different sections.

Designing the questions

• Keep it to a few short questions a shopper can answer in under a minute.
• Ask about one thing at a time: the offer, the product range, staff help, billing or delivery.
• Use simple scales or fixed options so answers can be compared across stores.
• Add one open question for comments in the shopper's own words.
• Ask for consent, and do not collect personal details unless they are needed.

Placing promoters in the store

Put promoters where decisions happen: at the main offer displays, in high-value sections and near billing. Rotate them through sections during the day so feedback covers the whole store. Brief them to be polite and quick, and never to argue with a complaint: the aim is to record it.

Combining promotion and feedback

The same promoters can promote the offer and collect feedback, as long as the two are kept separate in the conversation. Promote first, then ask a short question about the experience. This keeps the cost of insight low and the feedback grounded in a real shopping moment.

Turning feedback into decisions

• Summarise answers daily by store and section.
• Flag operational issues, such as stock gaps or billing delays, to store managers the same day.
• Compare how the same offer is received in different stores and districts.
• At the end, share what customers liked, what they did not and what to change next time.

Touchvane runs in-store promotions and customer feedback programmes across Kerala's stores and supermarkets. Tell us about your stores and campaign.

Frequently asked questions