The trouble with Tesco…
As a fiercely loyal Tesco shopper for 14 years, I happened to visit Waitrose with my 15-year old daughter last weekend and she was genuinely excited at the varied range, its presentation and the food quality inherent in its packaging. And of course, not concerned with the price. “Why can’t we shop more here, Dad?”
Here’s four further suggestions to those Mark Ritson gave (MWlinks.co.uk/RitsonTesco):
Focus on your core customers – use the Clubcard database to understand the 20% that must drive 80% of your revenues. Find out what they like – decent value, convenience iteration (eg hand-scan and pay, albeit without having to wait to prove my age every time I buy beer), best quality fresh food ranges and yes, some NPD and food innovation – and give them consistent service every time.
Reinforce this with Clubcard, and Clubcard only. Why on earth am I being asked to collect vouchers for knives or glasses when you have one of the most powerful loyalty tools? Give your most loyal customers the best possible deals, and encourage them to share rewards with friends.
Really focus on your service staff. Make sure there are more of them, and that they are not overstretched. Reward those who consistently deliver the most friendly, most effective customer service.
Strip back your positioning offers to at maximum three: basic/value, main brand. Finest. You don’t need Chokablok or Nutricat if you sell Finest and the quality is consistent. Make your value range feel like it’s affordable quality, not bargain basement. That will push your middle mass-market range items to where they can compete with Sainsbury’s and Waitrose.
David L, via online
