Tesco is poised to trial a version of its successful Clubcard loyalty scheme in its US’s Fresh & Easy chain.Tim Mason, chief executive of Fresh & Easy, said the business, which currently has 176 stores and will have 214 by the end of February next year, was ready to support a loyalty scheme.
It will be known as the Friends of Fresh & Easy card, but will be based on Clubcard.
Tim Mason, Fresh&Easy’s CEO, denied the loyalty card represented a strategic U-turn for Tesco’s US business, which has concentrated on delivering the lowest prices to customers rather than giving a discount through points earned with a loyalty scheme. “I don’t think it’s a U-turn at all, it is what Tesco does,” he told the Financial Times.
Mr Mason said the Friends card differed radically from anything in the US market, where customers are forced to sign up to loyalty cards to obtain lower prices on selected products.
The card could replace the coupons that Fresh & Easy has been using to help drive sales. It will be able to personalize offers and distribute them cheaply via e-mail.
The US loyalty card will build on the Friends of Fresh & Easy program that customers can sign up to, to receive fortnightly e-mails containing information and special offers. Some 360,000 people have become Friends of Fresh & Easy.
The new card, which offers one point for every dollar spent in Fresh & Easy, and rewards customers digitally rather than through physical vouchers, will be tested in Bakersfield, in central California, this autumn. If it is successful, it could be rolled out across Fresh & Easy by the end of February.
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