Humby urges travel industry to copy Tesco’s use of data

Clive Humby, the co-founder of Dunhumby, the company behind Tesco Clubcard, has urged the travel industry to learn from the retailer’s collection and use of data about customers.

Clive Humby (pictured), the co-founder of Dunhumby, the company behind Tesco Clubcard, has urged the travel industry to learn from the retailer’s collection and use of data about customers.

Humby, who is also chairman of the company, told the ABTA travel convention in Tenerife that the travel industry has access to “very rich data” on consumers’ habits.

He said: “I would argue that the content that you have is more descriptive of the consumer than just a packet of cornflakes.”

Humby added that travel companies needed to use the information they had in a more constructive way. He said: “Frankly I am not very impressed with some of the messages I get from travel companies, they just offer cheap flights to Dubai or something else they want to get rid of. It’s much harder to get off a junk email list than it is to get on it.”

He added that the data about customers needed to be carefully analysed and tailored. He “I do not necessarily want to be bombarded with messages just because I once went on a skiing holiday.”