Kaspersky Lab conducts one of its kind mystery shopping exercise
Leading cyber security brand Kaspersky Lab partnered with its national B2C distributor VR Infotech to conduct a ‘Mystery Shopper’ exercise to get a step closer to all its retailers. It’s an unprecedented move in the largely textbook marketing techniques that the cyber security companies in India follow.
Mystery shopper is a popular tool to gauge the quality of service a customer receives when purchasing a brand’s products. Mr. Gaurav Punekar, a marketing executive at Kaspersky Lab, was the mystery shopper. Delhi’s popular IT markets, such asNehru Place, District Centre Janakpuri and Lakshmi Nagar Market were picked for the exercise. Gaurav walked into shops that sell cyber security products. He posed as a customer who’s looking for advice to buy a cyber security product that’ll meet his requirements. This experience is vital for the end customer, it is the patch that most influences buying decisions. Gaurav was extremely delighted with what he saw and heard. Not only were most retail representatives knowledgeable and helpful, but also highly recommended Kaspersky Lab based purely on its performance. After a detailed discussion, when Gaurav finally revealed his identity, the shop representatives were pleasantly surprised. Mr. Ajay Yadav from VR Infotech soon joined Gaurav and together, Kaspersky and VR Infotech rewarded them on-the-spot with a gift voucher worth INR 1,000 to show their appreciation.
Said Mr. Altaf Halde, Managing Director, Kaspersky Lab- South Asia, “Kaspersky Lab is built on the foundation of strong relationships with our partners and end-customers. Nothing is more important to us than the value that our customers receive from our products. The last stretch of the supply chain, which is the shop from which our products are purchased, is crucial to us. Very often, a lot is lost in translation from the boardroom to the shop. We are always concerned with things like are they educated on our features, are their questions answered well,do the shop representatives have enough knowledge about Kaspersky? The mystery shopping exercise not just helped us get these answers, but brought us great relief and pride. The Kaspersky Family, right till the last point, is one happy family that puts customer at the heart of everything. And we couldn’t have been more proud!”
Said Mr. Vikram Mehta, V.R Infotech, “Kaspersky Lab and VR Infotech share a long, symbiotic relationship. We’ve been pondering this exercise for very long and finally found the perfect window and location in the month of February. The retail shops were chosen carefully, ones that cater to businesses and individuals alike. Although we were confident it will go well, we weren’t prepared for the stupendous response we received. It reinstated our belief in all our numerous activities that we engage in, to share knowledge, transfer and dialogue with all our supply chain members. It has fuelled us to keep pursuing our customers’ interests and keeping our retail partners happy!”
When the occasional store sprung up that didn’t stock Kaspersky’s products, they were promptly brought into the Kaspersky supply chain, thereby further widening its already strong network. Kaspersky’s initiative is sure to set a new trend in the industry, as more companies will see how many deep insights can be sought with a simple and honest marketing initiative. The success of the exercise will give great encouragement to Kaspersky that it is doing its supply chain management just right!