The Co-op joins with 02 and Coca-Cola for mobile marketing campaign | TalkingRetail.com

The Co-operative Group is linking with O2 and Coca-Cola to become one of the first UK supermarkets to take advantage of“mobile proximity marketing”.

From today (4 May) until 14 June 2011, customers within 0.5 miles of a Co-operative food store will receive a text message offering them a free 500ml bottle of Dr Pepper at their nearest Co-operative store.

The initiative is being supported by O2 Media, which is providing the database of 16 to 34-year-olds who have chosen to receive location-based marketing messages. O2 customers can sign up to be part of the scheme by visitinghttp://www.o2more.co.uk/

To facilitate the scheme, virtual perimeters or“geo-fences” have been set up around Co-operative food stores and the service is triggered by the customer’s proximity to one of these stores. Eligible customers in these areas will receive an SMS/MMS text message with the offer and the address of the nearest store.

The Co-operative Group has already announced that it will become the first major UK food retailer to introduce contactless payments, which will be trialled in 150 Co-operative food stores from September, following a link up with Barclaycard.

Sean Toal, commercial director for The Co-operative Food, said:“The Co-operative is keen to make use of cutting-edge technologies, and mobile proximity marketing means we can target customers with specific offers and engage with them directly. 

“The Co-operative has almost 3,000 stores nationwide, many of which are at the heart of local communities and on high streets, which makes this initiative and technology ideal for us as a community retailer.” 

Source: The Co-operative Group

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