Travel retail specialists 2.0 & Partners have announced a new partnership with Toscana Aeroporti to implement their Strategic Mystery Shopping programme across Retail and F&B outlets at the company’s Florence and Pisa airports.
The collaboration reflects the growing focus within the airport sector on understanding the real-world performance of Retail and F&B environments. As passenger expectations evolve and commercial spaces become increasingly premium and competitive, the ability to track and analyse frontline service delivery has become a strategic priority.
Strategic Mystery Shopping has been developed by 2.0 & Partners specifically for the travel retail ecosystem. Unlike traditional programmes built around standardised checklists, the framework focuses on qualitative observation of genuine interactions between staff and travellers. This allows airports and operators to capture deeper insights into behaviours that directly influence customer perception, engagement and ultimately commercial performance.
The programme’s detailed and actionable insights allow partners to identify operational pinchpoints and opportunities for improvement. Through structured reporting and data analysis, clients are able to drill down into specific service dynamics and performance patterns across the passenger journey.
These insights are designed to do more than measure performance. They create a robust foundation for targeted, insight-based training initiatives aimed at strengthening frontline capability and ensuring greater consistency in service delivery.
All assessments within the programme are conducted by professionals with direct retail and food & beverage experience. Each mystery shopper undergoes specialised training in travel retail service dynamics before undertaking any visits, ensuring observations are both reliable and contextually relevant.
Erika Giannini, Head of CXM, 2.0 & Partners said: “Travel retail environments are unique. They are international, high-pressure and constantly evolving. If we want to elevate the customer experience, we must first understand what is truly happening on the shop floor. Strategic Mystery Shopping allows partners to move beyond assumptions and gain the depth of insight needed to shape training, improve execution and drive consistent service excellence.”
The partnership with Toscana Aeroporti marks the second Strategic Mystery Shopping collaboration announced by 2.0 & Partners in recent weeks, highlighting growing demand across the sector for deeper, insight-led approaches to measuring and improving the traveller retail experience.
Strategic Mystery Shopping. Don’t guess it. Track it.