The Oyster Index, Issue 01: Run a useful retail pilot.

A guide to planning and measuring a skin-analysis pilot. This issue contains practical steps, not market data or customer results.

Choose one question

Write one question the pilot should answer. For example: “Should we offer assisted skin analysis at this store?” Define success before the test starts.

Name the store, team and decision owner. Set start and end dates. Choose one main measure. Agree when to continue, change or stop.

Test each customer step

Map each step: invite the shopper, take the scan, show product matches and complete the sale. Assign someone to each step. Check prices, stock and staff guidance.

Test with your actual products and devices. Include a failed scan and an unavailable product. Make sure staff know how to help.

Define what you measure

Count invitations, scan starts, completed scans, recommendations and orders separately. Decide whether each measure counts visits, people or purchases. Keep those definitions fixed.

• Scan completion: completed scans ÷ scan starts in the same period.
• Purchase rate: buyers after a scan ÷ scanned customers. Define how you link purchases and the time allowed after a scan.
• Average basket: revenue ÷ orders. Use consistent rules for tax, discounts and refunds.
• Return rate: returning customers ÷ the original customer group. State the period you tracked.

Use measures your systems can support. If you cannot link an order to a scan, keep the counts separate. Timing alone does not prove a link.

Choose a fair comparison

Choose a comparison before reviewing results. Use similar stores, periods or customer groups. Record changes in staffing, promotions, stock and foot traffic.

A comparison group helps you understand the pilot’s effect. A before-and-after review can reveal problems, but cannot prove that the pilot caused a sales change.

Keep daily staff notes

Ask staff to record common questions, abandoned steps and missing products. Use the same categories each day. Keep personal customer details out of shared notes.

Review the pilot regularly. Fix broken links or unclear instructions and log each change. Mark major changes in the results.

Report what happened

Answer the original question. Include dates, stores, audience, sample size and measurement method. Note missing records. Separate what you measured from what you think caused it.

Choose the next step and its owner. Extend the test, fix a step, update the catalogue or stop. Explain how the results support that decision.

Plan before launch

Before launch, record the question, owner, store, dates, main measure, comparison and review date. Add the customer steps and known limits. Keep this plan with the final report.

For more detail, read how to read skin intelligence reports and the technology-selection guide. To walk through a proposed store experience, book a demonstration.