Study how people actually arrive.
A map radius does not describe traffic, public transport, pedestrian access, parking or nearby shopping destinations. Ask shoppers how the store fits into their day. Compare weekday and weekend missions without assuming that every visitor lives nearby.
Listen beyond current customers.
Interview people who considered the store but did not visit or buy. Use a sampling plan that covers relevant times and shopper groups. Keep informal staff observations separate from systematically collected findings, while treating both as useful inputs.
Connect discovery with the visit.
Review the accuracy of addresses, opening information and store pages. Direction clicks are an intent signal. Independently measured entry events, bills and identified customer panels answer different questions about the store experience.
Make a decision you can test.
Research might point to clearer category communication, a replenishment priority or a more useful local discovery journey. Choose one intervention and keep store openings separate from same-store performance.
Bring a real question.
Be ready to challenge the plan.
Put the customer need, the evidence and the commercial outcome on the table. A recommendation should be able to defend its place.
Put your brief forwardAn original strategic framework. No completed client study or measured brand result is claimed.