Through what has been termed a “game-changing” agreement with IT loyalty firm Eagle Eye, Sainsbury’s is to reinvent how it handles online vouchers, telegraph.co.uk reports.
Eagle Eye’s technology will be deployed in Sainsbury’s outlets in order to process discount vouchers its customers have accessed through their smart phones. Doubling in value over the last five years, Britain’s coupon market is estimated to be worth £1.6 billion – an increase stimulated hugely by e-commerce.
The software, which will soon come into effect in Sainsbury’s supermarkets, is sophisticated enough to track shoppers’ purchasing habits, and tailor discount offers for them.
Remarkably, a non-executive director of Eagle Eye (which also operates with Asda) is Sir Terry Leahy, who served as Tesco CEO for 14 years. He holds a ten-per-cent stake in the growing firm.
Its CEO, Phill Blundell, said, “For us, this is a game-changing move as it signals that this model works. We will be taking charge of a third of the entire UK grocery market."
© 2015 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Peter Donnelly
