Page 11 - Sphere No.20 (Nov 2007)

IMAGINE a shop that knows what you like to eat, the type
of wine you enjoy drinking and even your dog’s favourite
pet food. Then imagine that this shop tailors special offers
and promotions to match these needs and also offers you a
way to save money at the same time.
It sounds too good to be true, doesn’t it? But this is exactly what
four of the most trusted names in Hong Kong retailing are do-
ing as the result of an exciting new loyalty programme. In a first
for Hong Kong, PARKnSHOP, TASTE, GOURMET and GREAT have
launched the MoneyBack programme that offers customers great
savings and individually tailored offers at the same time.
MoneyBack costs nothing to join and customers can register
as members on the spot and start earning points immediately.
SPHERE 9
Newtrends
PHOTOS: DEBBY HUNG
The personal
touch
Tailor-made offers mark the future of shopping
Each card set comes with a main card and three mini-cards for
family members. Cardholders can earn a MoneyBack reward
point for their common account for every HKD5 spent at any
one of the four supermarket outlets. MoneyBack members will
also gain extra points for purchasing certain items.
With the reward points, customers can redeem cash vouch-
ers or products and services such as Ocean Park tickets. More
redemption choices are set to be launched in coming months.
Members will also be offered free product samples and gifts
from time to time.
But here’s the really special part. When customers scan their
cards at MoneyBack member privilege kiosks on the way into
the store, they receive a shopping list of tailor-made offers
based on their purchase history and lifestyle.
“We felt the previous loyalty programme of collecting stamps
that can be cashed in for special offers was a bit too passive,”
says PARKnSHOP Customer Relationship Manager, Jessica To.
“This programme is about understanding your customer bet-
ter – who they are, where they shop, what they buy.
“As we know more about a shopper’s purchasing history we
can send them more information about particular products by
post or e-mail. For example, if we know someone has a prefer-
ence for organic food we can send them cooking tips to try.”
The beauty of it is that as the stores gather more information
about their customers, the more accurately they can tailor the
personalised shopping lists to match shoppers’ preferences. ”It
is a constantly evolving process,” says Ms To. “As our database
expands we will be able to understand their needs more readily
and provide them with the products and services they want.
“Hong Kong consumers are very sophisticated. Price is of
course fundamental but the range of goods and quality of
service is also very important to them. MoneyBack is now
among the largest loyalty programmes in Hong Kong
and has so far received an overwhelming response
of over one million membership registrations in
just a few months. Going forward, it will be ex-
panded to include more retailers. It really is the
future of shopping.”
Each card set comes
with a main card and
three mini-cards,
allowing customers to
earn savings faster via
a common account.