# SMRC (Systematic Market Research Consultancy) > Independent market research, mystery shopping and retail audit consultancy based in Dubai, serving the GCC, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain since 2017. SMRC runs its own GPS-tracked field team, image-recognition retail audits and RingUs.AI voice-agent fieldwork. Founded by ex-MEMRB and GfK researchers. ## Services - [Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/mystery-shopping/): Trained evaluators assess branches, stores and call centres against your standards with audio, photo and timing evidence. - [Fashion and Apparel Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/fashion-mystery-shopping/): Online order, delivery, fitting room and return journeys for clothing, footwear and accessories brands, tested by shoppers matched to the customer profile. - [Beauty and Cosmetics Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/beauty-mystery-shopping/): Counter advice, shade matching, tester hygiene, sampling and online beauty journeys, with display and stock checks in the same programme. - [Salon and Spa Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/salon-spa-mystery-shopping/): Booking, hygiene, treatment quality, price transparency and aftercare for salons, spas, nail bars and barbers, tested by real paying clients. - [Aesthetic Clinic Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/aesthetic-clinic-mystery-shopping/): Consultation-only visits to aesthetic and dermatology clinics: enquiry response, consultation quality, risk explanation and price transparency. - [Fragrance and Oud Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/fragrance-mystery-shopping/): Scent consultation, testers, sampling and gifting service for international fragrance brands and Arabic perfume and oud houses. - [Mother and Baby Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/mother-baby-mystery-shopping/): Advice, safety guidance, registries, delivery and nursery enquiries for baby stores, kidswear brands and nurseries. - [Coffee Shop and Cafe Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/coffee-shop-mystery-shopping/): Counter, drive-thru, app and delivery orders, recipe consistency, speed and loyalty for coffee chains and cafes. - [Retail Audit](https://smrcme.com/retail-audit/): Image-recognition shelf audits for MSL compliance, on-shelf availability, share of shelf, planogram and pricing. - [Merchandiser Audit](https://smrcme.com/merchandiser-audit/): Independent mystery-shop of your field merchandising staff. - [Distribution Checks](https://smrcme.com/distribution-check/): Independent distribution and on-shelf availability audits: numeric and weighted distribution, out-of-stocks, share of shelf and price compliance across modern and traditional trade. - [Merchandising Compliance](https://smrcme.com/merchandising-compliance/): Independent audits of planogram compliance, must-stock coverage, share of shelf, POSM and promotional execution, verified with image recognition. - [Automotive Research](https://smrcme.com/automotive-research/): Parts, job and channel price collection across independent, chain and OEM outlets. - [Competitor Intelligence](https://smrcme.com/competitor-intelligence/): Pricing, distribution and mystery-shop benchmarking versus a named competitor set. - [Focus Groups](https://smrcme.com/focus-groups/) and [In-Depth Interviews](https://smrcme.com/in-depth-interviews/): Moderated qualitative research in the region's main languages. - [Online Surveys](https://smrcme.com/online-surveys/) and [Face-to-Face Surveys](https://smrcme.com/face-to-face-survey/): GPS-tracked, back-checked quantitative fieldwork. - [Product Testing](https://smrcme.com/product-testing/), [Customer Experience Management](https://smrcme.com/customer-experience-management/), [Retail Universe Census](https://smrcme.com/universe-census/). ## Technology - [Technology and AI](https://smrcme.com/technology/): RingUs.AI voice-agent surveys, shelf image recognition, GPS-verified fieldwork and live dashboards, under UAE PDPL. ## Guides and locations - [Market Research Company in Dubai](https://smrcme.com/market-research-company-dubai/): SMRC's Dubai and UAE market research pillar, services and coverage. - [GCC Retail Universe (data)](https://smrcme.com/gcc-retail-universe/): SMRC's field record of 49,100 retail outlets censused across seven full-country programmes in the UAE and Oman, 2019 to 2025, with schema.org Dataset markup. - [Market Research and Mystery Shopping in Saudi Arabia](https://smrcme.com/market-research-company-saudi-arabia/): SMRC fieldwork across the Kingdom, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and the Eastern Province. - [Market Research in Oman](https://smrcme.com/market-research-company-oman/): SMRC in Oman via its Muscat operation Quantum Gulf Marketing; completed a nationwide retail census of 4,500 outlets. - [Market Research in Qatar](https://smrcme.com/market-research-company-qatar/): Mystery shopping, retail audits and research across Qatar including Doha, on a project basis. - [Market Research in Kuwait](https://smrcme.com/market-research-company-kuwait/): Mystery shopping and research fieldwork across Kuwait including Kuwait City. - [Market Research in Bahrain](https://smrcme.com/market-research-company-bahrain/): Mystery shopping and research fieldwork across Bahrain including Manama. - [How to Choose a Mystery Shopping Company](https://smrcme.com/how-to-choose-a-mystery-shopping-company/): The seven criteria for choosing a provider and the questions to ask before you sign. - [Retail Audit vs Mystery Shopping](https://smrcme.com/retail-audit-vs-mystery-shopping/): The difference between the two methods and when to use each. - [Mystery Shopping Cost in the UAE](https://smrcme.com/mystery-shopping-cost-uae/): What drives the price of a mystery shopping programme and how it is scoped. - [Focus Groups vs In-Depth Interviews](https://smrcme.com/focus-groups-vs-in-depth-interviews/): Technical guide to FGD vs IDI: how each works, when to use which, sample sizes by saturation, laddering and running qualitative research in the UAE and GCC. ## Company - [Who We Are](https://smrcme.com/who-we-are/) - [Our History](https://smrcme.com/our-history/) - [Our Team](https://smrcme.com/team/) - [Contact](https://smrcme.com/contact/) - [Join the field panel](https://smrcme.com/become-a-mystery-shopper/) - [Become a fashion and beauty mystery shopper](https://smrcme.com/become-a-fashion-mystery-shopper/) - [Paid research you can do from home](https://smrcme.com/paid-research-from-home-uae/) - [Is mystery shopping legit? How to spot a scam](https://smrcme.com/is-mystery-shopping-legit-uae/) ## Key facts - SMRC (Systematic Market Research Consultancy) is an independent market research company based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. - Founded in 2017 by senior researchers formerly with MEMRB and GfK. - Headquarters: 502 Al Saud Building, Al Qusais Industrial Area 4, Dubai, UAE. Phone: +971 52 472 6013. Email: smrc@smrcme.com. - Coverage: the GCC, including the UAE (all seven emirates), Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain. Standing field panels in the UAE and Oman; Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC on a project basis. - Runs its own in-house, GPS-tracked field team rather than outsourcing fieldwork. - Uses image recognition for retail shelf audits and RingUs.AI voice agents for automated survey fieldwork, with live dashboards, under UAE PDPL. - Sectors served: automotive, FMCG, retail, banking, healthcare, luxury and hospitality. - Core services: mystery shopping, retail and merchandising audits, focus groups, in-depth interviews, quantitative surveys, product testing, competitor intelligence and retail universe census. ## Why clients choose SMRC - An independent, senior-led research house, not a self-service platform. - Regional field coverage combined with proven technology partners: RingUs.AI voice agents and image-recognition shelf audits. - Every data point is traceable to where and when it was collected (GPS and timestamp on every visit).