Tesco is linking up with suppliers to send out personalised promotional e-mails to its home shoppers and it is considering altering the range in stores to give home shoppers more choice. The promotional e-mails will use information gleaned from Clubcards about customers' lifestyle, life stage, region, or typical basket. Using the personalised e-mail, a supplier could target particular shoppers who normally buy a rival product. The e-mails will have a link back to the Tesco.com web site to encourage shoppers to use the site, and particularly to buy those products promoted by the manufacturer. Unilever is the first company to get involved in the trial and will send out four to six different e-mails in March. Tesco.com commercial manager Kanaiya Parekh said: "We'll know exactly who the e-mail has gone to and we'll know exactly who then goes on to buy the product online. "Depending on the response to the Unilever e-mails, we will make a decision as to whether to do more. Every supplier we've talked to is very interested." Parekh also said extending the ranges in some stores was being considered because Tesco.com customers were currently limited to choosing products available at their local store, so those living near smaller shops got less choice. Tesco is particularly keen to do this because shoppers are twice as likely to buy its premium products ­ such as Finest and organic products ­ online. The move would also allow other requested online items such as gluten free and organic products to be sold in more stores. Parekh said: "If we did do it, it wouldn't mean reducing the number of products in store to accommodate new items, but might mean reducing the number of facings on some things to give us more space for new products." l See feature p.36. {{NEWS }}

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