Monitorimi i konkurrencës është një praktikë e zakonshme në retailing.

Beaters' armed with notebook, PDA or concealed recorder compares the prices of rival stores
May be the housewife that so carefully read the labels on cans of tomato frito, or that young man who asks the cashier the last pamphlet of promotions. Even the man who brought walking down the aisle of soft drinks, talking on the phone. In the supermarket customers are not all what they seem. Some have no intention of buying its real purpose is to record all prices, offers and promotions after pasárselos the 'enemy'.

And as in all wars, in the trade are also spies: sent emissaries to visit establishments in the competition to gather product information, news, and above all costs. In the argot of the industry, his work is called 'test pricing'. In the fierce battle that had begun late trading all types of retail areas, these figures play a more active role than ever.

"One person from our purchasing department is devoted each week to compare prices for a family of products in all supermarket chains in Malaga. This is normal in the distribution sector ", recognizes the owner of supermarkets Maskom, Sergio Cubero.

Media Markt is also confessed follower of this practice. At the opening of its store of Málaga last year, one of its executives explained the secret of its aggressive deals, "Every week, our sales staff to check the prices of all the establishments in the area located less than an hour of our and if they find products more affordable, we change ours to be unbeatable. "

'Minimum guaranteed price'

Behind slogans such as' If you find this product cheaper, we will refund double the difference 'there is usually a pre-test pricing. Some companies send their employees to 'spy' to competition, and others entrusted this task to specialized firms such as Malaga Shopper Marketing Consulting. Its technical director, Juan Antonio del Rio, said that the 'test pricing' is sued "for retail businesses in sectors where competition is very high or selling popular consumer products and in which prices fluctuate widely ' . "They often included in wider work of the 'mystery customer', in which a professional evaluates all unknown parameters of a business-quality, service, cleanliness ...- and compares with the competition.

The arms of a 'beaters' price can range from a simple notebook to a PDA, a recorder, a mobile phone or a camera. The technique depends on whether the 'spy' has to go unnoticed or not. "There are companies in which the views of competition are received normally and others that are frowned upon," says Del Rio. "I have come to miss a target by a supermarket price on a book," confesses Maskom owner. Instead, the manager of Shoppers recalls that if the chain of perfume shops, where he worked one time, representatives of rival companies quite naturally asked for the price list.

Environments' hostile ', techniques for comparing prices become very sophisticated. "The 'tester' you should never carry a notebook. You can claim a recorder or a mp3 to dictate prices disguised "says Del Rio, who gives the 'fake customers' maximum' be natural '. "We must behave like any customer, and if you have to go back another time to not arouse suspicion, it is," he said.

The thing is complicated in places like the Canaries, where the practice of bargaining distorts prices' official '. "Then we have to invent a credible history in order to ask for a large number of items. You could say, for example, will mount an online store and will purchase a large volume of products, "he says.

Internet has greatly facilitated the work of 'spying' business, but the linear foot of work still needed. "Almost all firms have the catalog on the Web, but then there are some that have different prices in the store or throw-off deals," says Cuberos.

The client chivato Carrefour

Why hire someone to spy on the competition when customers do for free? That had to think when those responsible for Carrefour launched in 2007, the hotline, a hotline (900 410 410) to which consumers can call if they observe an item cheaper at another, is a superstar, a hyper, a specialist shop or a small business. Carrefour verifies information immediately and, if it confirms that it is true, it lowers the price of the product in the supermarket customer who called in less than 24 hours to match the competitor's.

Southern Digital 29/03/2009

NURIA TRIGUERO | MALAGA