Saudi Arabia · KSA Fieldwork
Market Research & Mystery Shopping in Saudi Arabia
On the ground in Riyadh.
SMRC runs mystery shopping, retail audits and market research fieldwork across Saudi Arabia, with its own trained, GPS-tracked field team. From Riyadh and Jeddah to the Eastern Province, we measure the shelf and the service, then report evidence you can act on.
In one line
Does SMRC operate in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. SMRC is a market research and mystery shopping company that runs fieldwork across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and the wider Eastern Province. Founded in 2017 by researchers from MEMRB and GfK, SMRC delivers mystery shopping, retail and merchandising audits, traditional-trade census work, and both qualitative and quantitative market research. Every visit is carried out by a trained, in-house evaluator and carries GPS and a timestamp, so the data is traceable back to where and when it was collected. SMRC works for FMCG, retail, automotive, banking and hospitality clients, and runs programmes consistently across the Gulf, so a brand can measure Saudi Arabia and its other GCC markets on one accountable footing with a single partner.
If you need to understand your Saudi market, your shelf or your customer experience, SMRC can scope and run it end to end.
What we do in KSA
Four ways SMRC measures Saudi Arabia.
The same disciplines we run across the Gulf, delivered on the ground in the Kingdom.
Mystery shopping
Trained evaluators visit as real customers and score your service against your standard, in retail, banking, automotive showrooms, restaurants and hospitality, with audio, photo and GPS evidence on every visit.
Retail & merchandising audit
We check the shelf: distribution, availability, pricing, share of shelf and planogram compliance, verified with image recognition and photographic proof by store, city and region.
Traditional-trade census
We map and measure the traditional trade across Saudi cities, building an outlet frame and a census of the small stores that carry a large share of FMCG volume in the Kingdom.
Market research
Qualitative and quantitative studies, from focus groups and in-depth interviews to face-to-face and online surveys, designed around the decision you are trying to make in the Saudi market.
Where we work
Coverage across the Kingdom.
Fieldwork reaches the major population and commercial centres of Saudi Arabia.
RiyadhJeddahMakkahMadinah DammamAl KhobarDhahranEastern Province TaifAbhaBuraydahTabuk
Why SMRC
One field team, real evidence, the whole Gulf.
SMRC does not sub-contract its fieldwork to strangers. Programmes are run by an in-house, GPS-tracked team, scored consistently, and comparable across every store and every market, so Saudi Arabia sits alongside your other GCC data rather than in a silo.
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In-house field team
Trained evaluators and auditors, not an anonymous crowd. Every visit is GPS-tagged and timestamped, so the data is verifiable.
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A 1,500-outlet MENA panel
A standing panel of outlets across the region gives SMRC reach and speed for retail measurement and census work.
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Proven census methodology
SMRC has completed seven full-country retail censuses across the UAE and Oman covering more than 49,000 outlets, the same rigour we bring to Saudi fieldwork.
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One partner across the GCC
Run Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain through one team, with one standard and comparable results.
Common questions
Market research in Saudi Arabia, answered.
Does SMRC do mystery shopping in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. SMRC runs mystery shopping across Saudi Arabia, including Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, using trained in-house evaluators who visit as real customers and score the experience against your standard. Every visit carries audio, photo, GPS and a timestamp, so the results are verifiable.
Which Saudi cities do you cover?
SMRC reaches the major population and commercial centres of the Kingdom, including Riyadh, Jeddah, Makkah, Madinah, Dammam, Al Khobar and the wider Eastern Province, and can extend to secondary cities such as Taif, Abha, Buraydah and Tabuk depending on the study.
What is a traditional-trade census?
A traditional-trade census is a complete count and map of the small independent stores, groceries and kiosks that sell fast-moving consumer goods. In Saudi Arabia these outlets carry a large share of FMCG volume, so an accurate outlet frame is the foundation for distribution, availability and sales measurement.
Can you run one project across the whole Gulf?
Yes. SMRC runs mystery shopping, retail audits and research programmes across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain with one in-house team and one scoring standard, so results are comparable market to market rather than stitched together from different vendors.
How do you ensure data quality?
Fieldwork is carried out by SMRC's own trained team, not an anonymous crowd. Every visit is GPS-tagged and timestamped, evidence is captured as photo and audio, and the data passes a quality-control review before it reaches the client, so every data point can be traced back to where and when it was collected.
How do I start a project in Saudi Arabia?
Tell SMRC the decision you are trying to make and the market you need to measure. SMRC will scope the right method, mystery shopping, retail audit, census or research, design the sample and fieldwork, and report evidence you can act on. You can start on the contact page.
Planning research or a measurement programme in Saudi Arabia?
Tell us the market and the decision. We will scope the right method and run it on the ground in the Kingdom.
Talk to us about KSA →Prefer to talk?
Most enquiries start with a quick WhatsApp or call. Speak to our team directly and we will scope it with you.
