Richard J. George, Ph.D.

Sam's Discounts Have Personal Touch

June 1, 2010

FROM RETAILWIRE:
Sam's Club is getting personal with its members. Plus card members, who pay an added fee over regular Sam's shoppers, are able to go to an in-store kiosk and pick up deals created based on their shopping history. What do you think of the Sam's personalized offer program?      [more...]

I applaud Sam's for linking pricing to one's shopping history. This type of personalization is certainly a good beginning. However, why limit personalization to price only?

What other non-price offerings could Sam's and other retailers offer to their customers to insure that they maintain continuity of purchase? How about special orders or offerings exclusively for Plus Club members? Or how about a dedicated check out line for these members?

The challenge always has been to find out real customer problems that a retailer could have permission to solve besides simply giving a lower price or a frozen turkey at Thanksgiving. If it is going to be personalized then let's really personalize the process and options.