Thomson signs Nectar deal for advertisers and callers

Enter alt description text hereNectar is rolling out its first joint consumer and business loyalty offer after signing up Thomson Local Directories as its latest partner.

As part of the deal, advertisers with Thomson Local will earn Nectar points for placing an ad, while customers calling to use advertisers’ services will receive 50 points for making an enquiry. The initiative will be rolled out in the 2007 editions of the Thomson Local.

The programme will be run by Nectar for Business, the loyalty scheme’s business-to-business arm. It allows small businesses to collect points on purchases from other firms. Other sponsors that issue business Nectar points include EDF Energy, Hertz and Magnet Trade.

Loyalty Management UK (LMUK), the parent group behind Nectar, claims that more than one in ten small to medium-sized businesses now collect points through the scheme. Collectors can also gain points from the consumer programme, through sponsors including Sainsbury’s, BP, Beefeater and the Automotive Association.

Nectar for Business director of business development Jan-Pieter Lips says: “Small businesses will benefit by receiving increased numbers of calls from customers, while consumers will earn points from a wide range of advertisers.”