Can a Customer Loyalty Database Change a Society?

Retrospeak writes "'Organisations that continue to put the brand at their epicentre and pay only lip service to the notion that the customer is king, will fail. It's just a matter of time.' So says business strategist Clive Humby. His marketing company, Dunnhumby handles the loyalty scheme database for Tesco, the third-largest retailer in world and the biggest retailer in Britain. This fact combined with a strong customer loyalty program means they may have one of the largest databases in the world. The Economist goes on to state that Britain itself is being changed by the secondary effects of Tesco's massive customer-driven database." From the article: "Some of these changes are small. The dust jacket of a book that was to be sold in-store was recently altered because a Tesco buyer did not like it. Others are more fundamental. Before the Clubcard came along, the largest panels that suppliers could use consisted of around 20,000 people. But suppliers can now pay for access to the database and many just rely on Tesco."

Comments

retail marketeer's wet dream

[ch-chuck]

a loyalty card with rfid and customers with remote control implants.

"Smedley, there's a customer in aisle 7 with a weakness for cream filled donuts - jerk him over to aisle 3 quick!"

By driving me crazy? yes

[t_allardyce]

Every time i go to Tesco, without fail, they ask me the same question "do you have a tesco clubcard?"! Do i have a fucking tesco club card? do i?? if i had a tesco club card would i be standing there holding out my money without it? would i actually forget to take it out? I know they are trained to do this, they have no choice and i know by the tone of their voice they are fucking fed up of saying it more than im fed up of hearing it, in fact i feel sorry for them - to have to say the same phrase 100's of times a day while listening to people saying it all around you must be hell. Theres hardly any other talking going on at the check-out, the only thing you hear is the total and do you have a mother fucking tesco club card. Sometimes I wonder, should i just get a tesco club card to make them shut up? even having to pull an extra thing out of my wallet every time would make up for it! If getting a card ment just being handed one and not having to fill anything in then i probably would, but it probably takes a form a mile long. If tesco want me to use a card then its going to have to be anonymous and not require me doing anything.