Top firms cough up for Clubcard blitz

Tesco is understood to be leaning on big brand owners to stump up hundreds of thousands of pounds to fund a new wave of Clubcard mailings, as the retail giant continues to bolster its use of customer data.
The move is part of chief executive Philip Clarke’s well-publicised strategy to put DunnHumby and Clubcard back at the heart of Tesco’s marketing communications.
According to reports, Tesco is writing to leading suppliers demanding up to half the cost of the Clubcard strategy, with eight mailing blitzes planned for this year – targeting up to 10 million customers at a time.
There are claims that medium-sized suppliers will be expected to hand over tens of thousands of pounds; big suppliers hundreds of thousands.
One sales director is quoted as saying the plans were set to be a “major part of negotiations with suppliers for 2013/14”.
He added: “There has been some candour in the communication we’ve had from them over this, admitting previously they have fallen short in terms of innovation in Clubcard promotions.”
Earlier this month, it was revealed that the timing of the pre-Christmas Clubcard voucher mailings, as well as online campaigns to card-holders, played a key role in its impressive seasonal performance. Britain’s largest supermarket chain posted a 1.8% rise in like-for-like sales in the six weeks to January 5.
The strategy saw the supermarket send its 10 million most loyal Clubcard customers personalised deals rather than the blanket Double Points promotion that had run in 2011.
This week also sees the launch of a new TV campaign promoting the retalier’s online shopping service. Created by Wieden & Kennedy, the ad shows a woman daydreaming about who is packing up her order.
Tesco customer communications director Paul Morris said: “We set out to show that each shop for online customers is made with care. Tesco personal shoppers – warriors or not – seek out the freshest produce and longest code life dates just like our customers would do.”
Tesco has created 700 new jobs by opening a new online shopping facility in West Sussex.