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Friday, October 8, 2010

Nectar only really cares about iPhone owners

Mark Bridge writes:

Never mind customer loyalty, if you don't have an Apple iPhone you're a second-class consumer. That's the message I seem to have received from Nectar, the multi-retailer loyalty card company.

They've just sent me an email with a headline that reads "Exclusive bonus points offers at your fingertips". It goes on to say "Get the handy new Nectar app FREE on your iPhone or iPod Touch and receive exclusive bonus points offers at Sainsbury’s, Homebase, BP and many more great brands."

Apparently the app's been available for a few weeks, although I hadn't noticed because – oh, the shame – I don't have an iOS device. Therefore I won't be receiving the "exclusive bonus offers only available on the app". That's right, special offers only available if you have a particular type of mobile phone or music player.

Now, I realise that the idea of Nectar is to persuade you to alter your shopping habits in order to favour participating retailers. Visit Sainsbury's. Buy petrol from BP. Redecorate with Homebase.

There's even an internet search toolbar for Internet Explorer and Firefox. Which, unlike the iPhone app, is available to the majority of Nectar card users. The app is simply one step too far.

Rewarding a fragment of your customer base is no way to please the others. So please, please, can we call an end to this i-obsession?  I know I'm not the first to ask – Steve Dobson has warned against being "Apple happy", Tomi Ahonen has spoken of "App Store hysteria" and Martin Wilson diagnosed "iSyndrome". But this time it's personal.

If I want my loyalty card on my mobile phone, I'll trust Cardmobili. I'm certainly no longer a fan of Nectar. Because, for a company that talks about loyalty, Nectar has an odd way of rewarding it.

Nectar email

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Opinion Articles

Hotel phone charges demonstrate the value of packing your mobile

Mark Bridge writes:

I like hotels. Free biscuits in your room and all the portions of UHT milk you can drink. But the phone calls... that's a different story.

Dearie me, you're paying for that hospitality tray when you pick up the phone.

Author: The Fonecast
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Charlie Chaplin, a mobile phone and a time-travel mystery

Mark Bridge writes:

A Charlie Chaplin DVD includes an image of a woman using a mobile phone in 1928.

That’s the suggestion surrounding a YouTube clip that’s currently received more than 2½ million hits since it was posted online last week.

Author: The Fonecast
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Why the Sat-Nav Application Model is Broken

James Rosewell writes:

Most Sat-Nav applications are now obtained via the Application Store used on the mobile phone. Navigon have gone so far as to remove access to their application via any other route. Application Stores are now the only choice. This move to a platform-specific sales model is a massive mistake.

Author: The Fonecast
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Come on, Steve Jobs – why don't you attack a few more mobile companies?

Mark Bridge writes:

Mark Zuckerberg's girlfriend breaks up with him acrimoniously. So off he goes and creates Facebook. Yes, there's nothing like an insult to fire up the creativity. Well, that's certainly what the plot of The Social Network would like you to think.

And, you know, it's got a point. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that sticking two fingers up at the opposition seems to be the new way of doing business.

Author: The Fonecast
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The positive cult of giffgaff

Mark Bridge writes:

Wouldn't it be great if mobile customers loved their networks so much that they'd fight for them?  Ofcom would be inundated with complaints from O2 users about its decision not to allow GSM frequencies to be used for 3G services. Vodafone customers would demand that Nokia pre-loaded the N8 with a Vodafone 360 application. Orange users would be sending petitions to radio stations, asking them to implement HD Voice on phone-ins. And giffgaff users would take to online forums to defend the service they receive.

Oh, hang on. That last one's already happening.

Author: The Fonecast
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