Nectar homes in on consumers in real time

Incentive card firm Nectar will introduce a data warehouse next month that will increase the amount of marketing functionality and real time customer data it can offer retail partners.

By migrating to an advanced Oracle database, Nectar's operator, Loyalty Management UK (LMUK), will eventually be able to pass on real time updates to partners - including Sainsbury's, Barclaycard and Vodafone - and undertake more in-depth analysis so customers can receive more tailored offers.

'It will be phased in during January and February next year and over the next year we will decommission the old one,' LMUK IT director Mark Brighton told Computing.

'By leveraging new features in Oracle 10g over time we will be able to provide sponsors with real-time updates that they can use in campaigns,' LMUK IT director Mark Brighton told Computing.

'Next year the data warehouse will be no more than 24 hours out of date and in two to three years it will be almost real time.'

The data warehouse will continue to include other business intelligence applications, including SAS data-mining software, ESRI mapping, Business Objects reporting tools and Acorn and Mosaic socio-demographic analysis packages, says Brighton.

LMUK, which has issued more than 20 million Nectar cards since its launch in September 2002, has also introduced a mapping application to send customers tailored offers based around location when they move house.

Intelligent software distinguishes between customers cleaning details and changing address; and sends movers personalised mailings, with an individual map showing their house, participating retailers in the area.

By using Mosaic and Acorn software LMUK's system automatically analyses customer preferences and prints offers in their leaflet fitting to their socio-demographic status.

'There have been over 6.4 million variations of the mailing using the data analytics,' said Roger Sniezek, head of ecommerce.