Retail Active
Retail Active is a professional and experienced customer experience measurement agency.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2000
- HeadquartersHarwell, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Retail Active does
Retail Active is a UK-based customer experience measurement agency, incorporated in 2000 and headquartered in Winnersh, Berkshire. The company helps brands measure and improve how they deliver against customer expectations across the full shopper journey, combining brand standards audits, mystery shopping, Perfect Store measurement frameworks, customer satisfaction surveys, customer exit surveys, focus groups, employee engagement surveys and consulting. Services span in-store, digital, home delivery, telephone and covert video channels, and are delivered across four industry verticals: automotive (working with 20+ manufacturers and 3,500+ dealerships in the UK and Europe), retail (grocery, convenience, consumer electronics, DIY, pets and toys), foodservice, leisure and entertainment (hotels, restaurants, cinemas, stadiums, beauty salons with 25+ years of sector experience), and housebuilding (7+ major UK housebuilders and national standards boards).
The underlying platform combines proprietary scoring frameworks (such as the customisable Perfect Store scoring system) with third-party technology from Shopmetrics (mystery shopping management) and DataOrbis B.V. / Rex (field marketing reporting), and operates self-service portals for both mystery shoppers and clients. Retail Active is a subsidiary of Smollan, operating within the Advantage Smollan jointly-owned holding structure between Advantage Solutions and Global Smollan Holdings, which provides access to a global commerce solutions infrastructure for cross-border program delivery.
The company sells exclusively through an enterprise B2B direct sales motion, with quote-based project engagements and no public pricing. Revenue is generated through professional services contracts covering brand and franchise compliance auditing, mystery shopping programs, survey design and analytics, and strategic consulting. The business is supported by MSPA membership with verified client references, ISO 27001, ISO 14001, Cyber Essentials, EcoVadis Gold and Great Place to Work (89% employee approval in 2024) certifications, which collectively serve as enterprise procurement credentials.
Retail Active firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Retail Active
- Legal name
- Retail Active Limited
- Website
- https://www.retailactive.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2000
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Retail Active is a professional and experienced customer experience measurement agency.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Retail Active industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Customer Experience Measurement Services
- akta.pro primary industry
- Shopper & Retail Insights (In-Store/Path-to-Purchase, Category Insights) (MPAAALAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Retail Media, Shopper Marketing & In-Store Activation Services (CRAOAOAD), In-Store Marketing & Retail Activation (POS/POP, Displays) (MPAAAJAC)
Keywords
Where Retail Active is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Harwell
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Retail Active business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others
Revenue model
- Brand Standards Audits: Professional services providing measurement of compliance to brand standards, operating standards and franchise standards across retailer and dealer networks. Revenue is generated through project-based professional service engagements with manufacturers and retailers.
- Mystery Shopping Services: Covert observational and auditory research services to mystery shop customer journeys across in-store, online, and home delivery channels. Delivered by a network of mystery shoppers and auditors, generating revenue through per-engagement or contracted service agreements.
- Customer Satisfaction Surveys: Customer feedback collection services including exit surveys, focus groups, and pulse surveys. Revenue generated through survey design, deployment, and analytics engagements with brand clients.
- Consulting Services: Strategic consultancy engagements leveraging multi-category and multi-channel global and local expertise to build practical solutions for client business challenges.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Retail Active product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Retail Active is a Customer Experience Measurement Agency that helps brands measure and improve the reality of customer experience delivery across every stage of the customer journey. The company delivers brand standards audits, mystery shopping (in-store, online, home delivery, telephone), Perfect Store scoring frameworks, customer satisfaction surveys, focus groups, employee engagement surveys, and strategic consulting services to manufacturers and retailers.
Product overview
Retail Active is a Customer Experience Measurement Agency offering a unified suite of services for brands to measure and improve customer experience. The core portfolio includes Brand Standards Audits, Mystery Shopping (in-store, online, home delivery, and telephone), Perfect Store measurement frameworks, Customer Satisfaction Surveys, Customer Exit Surveys, Focus Groups, Employee Engagement Surveys, and Consulting services. These are delivered across four industry verticals: Automotive (3,500+ dealerships), Retail, Foodservice/Leisure/Entertainment, and House Building. The company also provides self-service portals for mystery shoppers and clients to access their programs and reporting dashboards. As part of the Smollan Group, services are designed for global scalability across all sales channels.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Brand Standards Audits
Quantifiable outcome
- 89% of employees voted Retail Active as a great place to work in the 2024 Great Place to Work Survey.
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Retail Active
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Retail Active technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
AI capability1 record
Feature4 records
Retail Active partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- SmollancoreRetail Active is a subsidiary of Smollan, a global commerce solutions company jointly owned with Advantage Solutions. This structure enables global integration of high quality, scalable, tailored and complimentary sales and marketing solutions across UK and Europe.
- Advantage SmollancoreAdvantage Smollan Limited is the jointly-owned holding company of Advantage Solutions and Global Smollan Holdings, providing unified sales, marketing, and technology solutions for consumer goods manufacturers and retailers across Europe. Retail Active operates within this group structure.
- Mystery Shopping Professionals Association (MSPA)coreRetail Active is a proud member of MSPA, an industry association dedicated to enhancing the acceptance, performance, reputation and utilisation of member services. MSPA membership includes external assessment for adherence to professional standards including Code of Professional Ethics and Code of Professional Standards.
- EcoVadisminorEcoVadis is a globally recognised platform providing sustainability ratings. Retail Active has received Gold accreditation standard through EcoVadis assessment of environmental, social and ethical performance.
- Resource Experience Limited (trading as Smollan)minorAffiliate company within the Smollan group used for potential recruitment opportunities when registering or applying for jobs. Based in the UK.
- Powerforce Field MarketingminorAffiliate company within the Advantage Smollan group used for potential recruitment opportunities when registering or applying for jobs. Based in the UK.
Scale indicators8 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Retail Active competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- BARE International: Global mystery shopping and customer experience measurement agency serving automotive, retail, hospitality, and financial services. Directly comparable to Retail Active's mystery shopping, brand audit, and CX measurement core, including similar verticals and enterprise client base.
- Intouch Insight: Customer experience measurement firm offering mystery shopping, customer satisfaction surveys, and Perfect Store / operational audits for retail and restaurant chains in North America. Comparable service mix (mystery shopping, audits, surveys, multi-channel measurement) and target enterprise buyers.
- Market Force Information (Now part of SMG): Mystery shopping and customer experience measurement company serving retail, restaurant, and financial services with multi-channel programs. Closely comparable in service offering, vertical mix, and enterprise client profile.
- MaritzCX: Large customer experience research and consulting firm offering CX measurement, mystery shopping, NPS programs, and advisory services across multiple verticals. Comparable end-to-end CX measurement stack and enterprise target customers.
- Service Management Group (SMG): Customer experience management provider offering mystery shopping, brand standards audits, and customer feedback solutions to retail, restaurant, and hospitality brands. Highly comparable operating model and vertical focus.
Broad incumbents
- Ipsos: Global market research and consumer insights giant with substantial shopper insights, retail audit, and customer experience practices. Comparable in CX research methodology and enterprise clients, but operates at much broader scale and scope than a specialist agency like Retail Active.
- Kantar: World-leading data, insights, and consulting company with significant Worldpanel retail measurement, shopper insights, and CX capabilities. Overlaps with Retail Active's retail/shopper measurement but at massive global scale across many adjacent practice areas.
- NielsenIQ (NIQ): Global consumer intelligence company offering retail measurement, shopper insights, and competitive benchmarking. Comparable in retail audit and competitive benchmarking methodology, but operates as a much broader data and analytics platform than a boutique CX agency.
Emerging players
- Cognizant / Infosys CX Practice: Large IT services firms building digital CX and customer journey analytics practices using AI, computer vision, and digital telemetry as alternatives or complements to traditional mystery shopping. Represents the disruptive direction Retail Active must increasingly compete with or partner into.
Others
- Powerforce Field Marketing: UK field marketing and merchandising agency within the Advantage Smollan group. Sister company to Retail Active under the same parent, with overlapping UK retail and brand clients — directly comparable in market positioning and Smollan-distributed enterprise relationships.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Retail Active social profiles
Digital presenceRetail Active compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance7 records
Retail Active financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Retail Active leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Retail Active funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Retail Active M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Retail Active
What does Retail Active do?
Retail Active is a Customer Experience Measurement Agency that helps brands measure and improve the reality of customer experience delivery across every stage of the customer journey. The company delivers brand standards audits, mystery shopping (in-store, online, home delivery, telephone), Perfect Store scoring frameworks, customer satisfaction surveys, focus groups, employee engagement surveys, and strategic consulting services to manufacturers and retailers.
Is Retail Active a public or private company?
Retail Active is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Retail Active founded?
Retail Active was founded in 2000. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Retail Active based?
Retail Active is headquartered in Harwell, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Retail Active make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Brand Standards Audits are the primary driver. The others are mystery Shopping Services, customer Satisfaction Surveys and consulting Services.
Who are Retail Active's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are BARE International, Intouch Insight, Market Force Information (Now part of SMG), MaritzCX and Service Management Group (SMG). Broad incumbents are Ipsos, Kantar and NielsenIQ (NIQ). Cognizant / Infosys CX Practice is listed as an emerging player. Powerforce Field Marketing is listed as an others.
Does Retail Active have an API?
No public API is recorded for Retail Active.
What industry is Retail Active in?
Retail Active's product category is Customer Experience Measurement Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPAAALAJ, Shopper & Retail Insights (In-Store/Path-to-Purchase, Category Insights), with a secondary code of CRAOAOAD, Retail Media, Shopper Marketing & In-Store Activation Services.