A busy time for Nectar: changes all round
The UK-based coalition loyalty programme, Nectar, has announced a number of changes that will help the programme to expand, increase its portfolio of services, and serve more consumers.
First, the programme has signed up the UK DIY chain, Homebase, as its key home improvement partner. The Nectar card will completely replace Homebase's existing Spend & Save loyalty scheme.
According to Ajay Kavan, Homebase's marketing and strategy director, the company conducted extensive research within all of its customer segments and found that consumers felt they would value Nectar points more than the company's own Spend & Save rewards. At the same time, the partnership also provides Homebase with a significant direct marketing capability that provides access to approximately 50% of the country's households, as well as an ongoing source of detailed customer insight.
Spend & Save members can continue to earn and redeem rewards at Homebase until the official nationwide launch of the Nectar partnership in Summer 2009. At that time, members will be given more details about the conversion to Nectar points.
Nectar has also announced the launch of a new service for its members, having partnered with price comparison web site Confused.com to offer Nectar points for the purchase of home and car insurance policies.
The new 'Nectar Insurance powered by Confused.com' online service allows Nectar collectors to compare a range of insurance quotes to get the best deals and savings. Nectar cardholders can then earn 1,000 Nectar points for making an insurance purchase as a result.
Finally, Nectar's Canadian owner and operator, Groupe Aeroplan, announced that Jan-Pieter Lips has been appointed as the new managing director for the programme, replacing Brian Sinclair (who is taking up an executive position with Groupe Aeroplan at its Toronto-based headquarters) and being responsible for the management and continued expansion of Nectar.
In his previous role at Nectar, Lips was the director of client development, and was responsible for developing and launching the Nectar Business extension for the B2B market. Lips originally came to Nectar from Loyalty Management Netherlands, the company that operates the Dutch Air Miles programme.
Currently, more than 50% of UK households collect Nectar points, and the Nectar eStores provide points for shopping online with over 220 e-retailers. Since Nectar's launch in 2002, more than £1 billion worth of rewards have been redeemed by collectors, including money off shopping, entertainments, travel, and other merchandise.
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