Speaking to P&I, Price said the retailer had been talking to specialists about bringing in coupon technology, but had decided against it. Coupons were deemed not to be in keeping with Waitrose's ethos and did not fit in with the way the store worked.
Waitrose had recently been in talks with coupon specialist Catalina Marketing about its instant coupon scheme. Price said that those discussions had ended.
Catalina offers colour printer technology designed to print coupons at the checkout. These are targeted on the basis of the customer's shopping basket. The same scheme is due to be trialled by Sainsbury's in four stores.
Price said the only coupons that the store would use would be at new and refurbished stores. It would also run direct marketing containing offers. Waitrose's stance is in direct contrast to supermarkets such as Sainsbury's, which plans to expand its use of coupons.
Last month, Waitrose launched its first online CRM campaign in order to build awareness of its website.
_1.jpg)
.jpg)
