Tesco is attaching iPads with the app to the walls of four London store locations – Lisson Grove, Melcombe Street, St. John’s Wood Terrace and Tottenham Court Road  – as part of its CRM-building efforts. Tesco worked with Incentivated to develop the app.

“Tesco wanted to explore new ways and methods of attracting customer’s attention and interest in joining the membership scheme whilst in-store,” said Jason Cross, marketing director at Incentivated, London.

“In discussion with their team, we felt that the use of modern technology might help to draw attention to the scheme in a new and interesting way – leading to us building an app that featured a moving image akin to a screen saver in order to draw the shopper’s attention,” he said.

“Through the use of a touchscreen tablet, it is quick and easy for customers to fill in the form and join the scheme.”

Driving loyalty
Tesco’s Clubcard loyalty program has approximately 17 million card members, and the company is leveraging mobile to acquire new users.

Via the in-store tablet fixtures, shoppers can learn more about the retailer’s loyalty program and sign up.

Once the registration is complete, they are sent an SMS message and email that confirms their enrollment.

Additionally, calls-to-action on receipts that encourage consumers to sign up for the Clubcard are being promoted at all 2,300 branded Tesco stores in Britain.

Tesco’s acquisition efforts for building its CRM program have traditionally focused on in-store paper leaflets, but the company has added the ability to text in as a way to begin the registration process in the past few years.

By taking the registration process digital, Tesco is able to not only process more applications, but also have a more accurate method of capturing data than the traditional method of typing in information from a paper application.

Mobile innovation
Tesco is exploring multiple ways to integrate mobile into the shopping experience.

For example, the company also has an iPhone and Android app that helps consumers find nearby stores and shop for products.

Consumers can also scan their Clubcard to view rewards and vouchers that are available on their accounts at select stores.

Grocery stores have a massive opportunity with mobile, and Tesco’s recent loyalty-building initiative points to the opportunities to use technology to elevate the in-store experience specifically.

“By using tablets and app technology, it is obviously enhancing Tesco’s expertise in this area in the eyes and experience of their customers,” Mr. Cross said.

“Their business processes are enhanced and improved as well, delivering a speedier, more accurate customer solution as a result, and one that enables the retailer to benefit more quickly from their customer’s use of the scheme as well,” he said.

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is associate reporter on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York