Retail Audit & Mystery Shopping Study in KSA: Building Materials Pricing and Sales Insights

Client

A global manufacturer in the premium building materials segment sought to gain a deeper understanding of retail pricing dynamics for building materials and in-store sales practices across key markets in Saudi Arabia. The client aimed to benchmark competitor pricing, evaluate merchandising standards, and assess how retail sales teams engage with customers across leading retail outlets, generating retail intelligence for premium home improvement products in the Saudi retail market.

Objective of the Study

The study was designed to generate accurate on-ground intelligence on pricing structures, availability, and in store sales practices in Saudi building material stores.

The key objectives included:

• Obtaining detailed insights on pricing and discounting practices across key retail outlets, including pricing and discount strategy and retail pricing analysis.

• Assessing product availability, stock depth, and lead times for premium building material categories.

• Evaluating in-store merchandising standards and product display quality

• Understanding the sales engagement approach and tools used by retail staff during customer interactions, including sales staff engagement in construction retail environment, customer consultation approach, and broader retail sales engagement

• Capturing real-time market intelligence to support competitive benchmarking and pricing strategy, including competitor pricing analysis for construction products in KSA, and competitive retail pricing strategy for premium materials

Research Methodology

Market Xcel conducted mystery shopping research and retail audit insights exercises across key cities in Saudi Arabia to gather real-world insights from retail environments.

Approach: Mystery Shopping & Retail Audit

This approach was designed as a mystery shopping study for construction retail outlets in KSA, combining on-ground validation with retail audit insights for porcelain slabs and tiles market.

Geographies Covered:

Riyadh, Jeddah, and Dammam

Outlet Coverage:

12 retail outlets (4 per city)

Categories Covered:

• Monoporosa tiles

• Porcelain slabs

• Premium sanitary ware

This category mix enabled premium tile and sanitary ware retail benchmarking within the wider building materials retail domain.

Execution:

In-person audits conducted by trained local field teams at client-specified retail outlets to generate practical construction retail insights and support channel benchmarking for building materials distribution.

Data Captured:

• SKU-level pricing

• Discount structures and negotiation norms

• Stock availability and lead times

• Product range and in-store display quality

• Sales staff engagement and consultation approach

These inputs supported tile pricing strategy, sanitary ware retail evaluation, and a deeper understanding of showroom display standards.

Additional deliverables included detailed visit transcripts, physical catalogues/brochures, and raw data files.

Research Outcome

• The study delivered comprehensive retail intelligence to support the client’s market strategy in Saudi Arabia and offered a grounded view of evolving KSA retail trends.

• Provided city-wise benchmarking of pricing and discount structures across key retail outlets, supporting retail channel benchmarking and competitor pricing analysis for construction products in KSA.

• Identified variations in stock depth, product availability, and supply timelines through stock availability and lead time analysis in KSA retail.

• Assessed in-store merchandising standards and premium product positioning, generating actionable retail audit insights for premium tile and sanitary ware retail benchmarking.

• Evaluated the consultative approach and negotiation behavior of retail sales staff, highlighting sales staff engagement in construction retail environment and the customer consultation approach in Saudi construction retail.

• Enabled actionable insights to strengthen pricing strategy, channel management, and competitive positioning in the KSA market through stronger competitive pricing intelligence and retail pricing dynamics for building materials in Saudi Arabia.

Business Impact

The insights enabled the client to strengthen its pricing, merchandising, and channel strategy across key retail markets in Saudi Arabia. The study provided a clearer view of competitor pricing dynamics, in-store sales practices, and showroom execution, helping the client identify gaps in product positioning and retail engagement. It also supported more informed decisions around discounting, stock planning, and channel management, ultimately improving competitive readiness in the KSA market.

If you want to benchmark your retail performance with mystery shopping and retail audit solutions tailored to your business, contact us now!