Westfield gives customers a key tag Sarah Plaskitt
CREATING convenience for its customers and a relevant database system are the two main drivers behind Westfield’s recent addition of key tags for customers.
Whether it’s to borrow a stroller or enter in the Shop for your School points program, customers no longer need to re-register each time.
Instead they have a bar code scanned at the customer service desk and after initial registration, their details remain in the system for future use.
“Because we are a very large mass market brand we have a million touch points with millions of customers per year,” Westfield marketing general manager Michelle Vanzella said.
“The primary driver is for customer convenience and experience—the technology can be used over and over—and secondly we want to be able to talk to customers in the most relevant fashion possible,” Vanzella said.
“There are lots of segments of customers and there are some activities that are more interesting to certain segments, for example people that use Shop for your School programs may be interested in hearing about school holiday programs.”
The technology also enables the customer to use the tag at any Westfield centre—previously they could only enter Shop for your School points at a nominated Westfield.
“We can extend the benefits of the program beyond that centre,” Vanzella said.
Not only did that limit the amount of schools that could participate, but the redemption of dockets into points became a fairly clumsy exercise.
The technology enables the whole process to be much more streamlined with coupons no longer needed, saving time for the customer and Westfield Customer Service staff.
Westfield gives away over $2m worth of prizes to schools (Apple eMac computers, HPdigital cameras and Visa money).
Primary schools register their participation at a local Westfield centre and points are tallied over an eight week period from receipts received by shoppers.
