Big Lots To Deploy CRM, Latest Chain To Risk Aggressive Customization
Written by Evan SchumanGrocery chains have historically been afraid to reach out to consumers with personalized pitches, fearing the consumers would be put off by what might be seen as a privacy intrusion. But with privacy expectations now much lower, more chains are willing to take the chance. Case in point: the $4.6 billion 1,400-store Big Lots grocery chain will launch its first CRM program in the Fall, the latest in a series of grocery chains slowly embracing official loyalty programs.
The Buzz Club card will offer consumers a discount when they make 10 purchases of more than $20 each, according to this DMNews report. The story quoted Big Lots CEO Steven Fishman as saying: “The program will allow us to learn more about our core customers’ shopping tendencies and opens up micromarketing capabilities we’ve have never had before as a business.” It will be used to create personalized follow-up offers and Fishman said that all of the chain’s “messages going forward will be more aggressive.”
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August 31st, 2009 at 3:01 pm
As a consumer, I am a fan of customized messaging. As long as that is stated up front, I suspect Big Lots program is an opt-in program. With the plethora of non customized and customized offers arriving after one signs up for a loyalty program, I suspect many, if not most, opt-in consumers assume they are going to get offers. So if they know and expect to get offers (whether they knew and assumed it before or learned it when opting in), shouldn’t they want customized offers rather than any offer. Getting ‘all offers’ means more junk mail, which no one likes. I appreciate national brand companies or retailers that engage in programs to bring offers to me that I am more likely to use rather than junk.