How Woolworths achieved loyalty personalisation with big data

The article explores how Woolworths, one of Australia's biggest grocery retails, successfully relaunched its loyalty scheme with a personalisation focus after the company was forced to abandon an unpopular change.

How Woolworths achieved loyalty personalisation with big data

Brooke Hemphill

At the end of 2015, Australian supermarket giant Woolworths ditched its Everyday Rewards loyalty scheme that had rewarded shoppers with Qantas frequent flyer points. Instead, the brand introduced the program 'Woolworths Dollars' which gave shoppers cash toward future purchases whenever they bought items marked with an orange ticket.

The move was an unmitigated disaster which cut membership numbers and, according to a global study of loyalty programs, impacted how Australians felt about loyalty programs more broadly.

In August last year, the brand abandoned the new rewards program reinstating the option...

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