We invited shoppers who had never been to any of over a hundred stores in the client's chain to visit a store, sending them a gift card to use to make purchases.

This mimicked opening day at the store so top-tier managers from the home office could hear shoppers' first impressions of the store—the good and the bad.

In focus groups, we delved deeply into the image the stores project—what attracts shoppers and what repels them. Then, we explored how the store might overcome any obstacles the shoppers proffered. Before these projects, the client was virtually blind to the way customers perceive their store, their merchandise, and their values.