Ocado

Generally, I like Ocado.  I like the fact that I don't have to go to the supermarket and can get my groceries delivered at a time that suits me.  I find their radio adds vaguely amusing.  Their service is pretty good - they rarely substitute your bananas for avocados, the type of trick that Tesco Online used to play.

But - and it's a big but - their direct marketing stinks.  Direct marketing is supposed to be a clever tool to entice people to spend money by sending them offers that might be directly relevant to them.  Ocado fails miserably.

Every couple of weeks I get an email from them offering me a special deal, usually it's a bottle of wine.  It could be tempting, except the offers are always predicated on me making an order with a minimum value of £85 - a figure that has recently creeped up from £75.

Except I never, ever spend more than £50.  I have emailed Ocado back telling them to either make me a real offer or stop sending emails.  So, today, they offer me the chance to win £1,000 of John Lewis vouchers, as long as I include a box of Kellogg's Special K in my £85.  Special K? Special K?  Why on earth would I buy Special K.  I never order cereal, let alone a cereal that is supposed to be as healthy as Special K AND I NEVER SPEND £85.

I know I could choose not to receive emails from the company.  Unfortunately, I sometimes find their emails helpful and informative, such as the one telling me last ordering dates over the New Year.

I appreciate this may seem like small fry to you, but it is really annoying me. I like their service, but they're pissing me off and I'm reconsidering whether I should use them.  Given I don't spend a fortune with them, I appreciate this might not have them quivvering in their boots but it would be nice to see them keep their word and as their website states: go the extra mile.

It can't be that difficult to look at my order history, see what I buy, what I spend and make me an offer that tickles my fancy rather than bombarding me with crap.  If they're reading, maybe they'll listen.

Comments

[johanna]

CRM is not something companies do particularly well, not just here but around the globe. waitrose is not even the worst example, but in other countries you'd be hard-pressed to even find a contact email address on their website! 5 weeks ago, I filled in a form to be contacted by customer services of a (large) Austrian bank and I still haven't heard from them!!!
I often shop with Ocado - I like that fact that delivery is free from £75 (which for me is easy with a family) when others charge you up to £7.50 for bringing the goods to your front door.
I have been tempted by the wine offer before, but can assure you you'd be disappointed... it's their cheapest bottle, hovering around the £3 mark, so you're not missing out ;-)

[Silverbrow]

Given it's their cheapest bottle of plonk makes it even worse. To date I've found Ocado very good at their job, this is such a small niggle I don't see why they can't address it more effectively. Especially as I've had email contact with Arati Nar, who signs the emails from Ocado, and drew their attention to this post. It seems a bit silly from their point of view.

[C Evans]

Now the e-mails keep saying how well they compare with Tesco. Every few days they keep talking to me like they are trying to tempt me away from Tescos to Ocado. I left Tescos years ago for Ocado because they were different. Now they are trying to be he same and have started charging for delivery like Tescos I might as well shop with Tescos. Their plan has back fired and I am moving in the opposite direction to the one they had hoped. We have always had a basic veg box delivery from the organic company Abel & Cole. They do't charge for delivery and if you are not in they leave it in the porch in cool boxes so you don't have to worry about delivery time and being there. Gradually they have increased their range and we have moved more and more of our shop over to them. Now we use supermarkets only occasionally. I would put money on it that Ocado have head-hunted a big person from Tesco or Asda which would explain what's going on there.

[Anthony Silverbrow]

C Evans, you're right that is their advertising strategy at the moment. I'd guess though that that is primarily because of fears of a downturn in the economy - and so as consumers tighten their belts they become more cautious about how they spend.