Fly Buys Docket Deals

[rainbowgirl]

I have noticed that bonus points on specific products as a general offer are the only bonus points which seem to post straight away. At least they got something right about posting bonus points.

Officially the only way to resolve missing bonus points is to ring the call centre. Occasionally other methods work. On the flybuys webpage there is a FAQ list. At the end of each answer the page asks you if you found the answer helpful. If you say no, a contact us form appears and if you're lucky you get an answer in a couple of days. I have used this several times to chase up bonus points that haven't been credited more than 4 weeks from the original transaction date. The team won't chase them up until 4 weeks after they were earned. Most of the time the email replies say I have to ring the call center to chase up the points however on some rare occasions they have given me useful advice on when the points will credit or they have arranged for a call center person to call me.

 

[blackcat20]

Still missing my 500 bonus points from June so I rang the call centre. I either have to fax or post in my receipts...haven't they heard of email? Really can't be bothered....

 

[rainbowgirl]

They asked me to fax in the receipts once. I managed to convince them to take the details over the phone. It took a lot of convincing and several call center operators.

 

[Jeffrey O'Neill]

I just got the 500 points deal from the end of June

I think flybuys needs to lift its game before they annoy people much more.

The issues are nearly as annoying as the missing transaction with Velocity Shop & Earn.

When he customers stop seeing the reward scheme as a reward, you're wasting a lot of money on something that the customers don't value!

 

[rainbowgirl]

I'd love to more about how Coles chooses whether you get docket deals or not. Since the big relaunch I've only had one docket deal which was for a discount on one product but nothing for points. I usually make one to two shopping trips to coles each week. I've heard some reports they are like a raffle or random but I'm not so sure. Maybe they think I'm already getting enough targeted emails and don't need the extra incentive of docket deals.

 

[blackcat20]

They asked me to fax in the receipts once. I managed to convince them to take the details over the phone. It took a lot of convincing and several call center operators.

Maybe I'll give them another shot in a day or two. Seems like a lot of effort for points...

 

[rainbowgirl]

Finally got a docket deal on my partners card. Spend $50 and get $5 off your purchase. Expires August 21. I like the deal but the expiry date is annoying. I was planning to do a shopping trip next Saturday of around $50 at Coles with partners card but I might have to reorganise things and go on Tuesday morning instead (or in addition to). I guess I'll have to weigh up tomorrow's EDR offers and see who is offering the best deal for our household next week. I like the fact that we only have to spend $50 on my partners card to get the discount. We have been using this card for small purchases but $50 is reasonable and we get to collect the My5 discount. My card only gets offered a $5 discount for purchases over $100.

 

[rainbowgirl]

Flybuys, Coles and Colgate must have some sort of interesting marketing agreement. I got a targeted offer recently which I could take up multiple times on a particular type of colgate toothpaste. The offer lasts until 24/9/12. There was a reminder about this on my last receipt from Coles as well as a docket deal offering me 150 points if I spent $5 in one transaction on any Colgate products. I don't think this was random. I think it was specifically designed to entice me to use the targeted offer. I only buy colgate when it's on super special or I have a targeted offer from Flybuys or EDR which gives me lots of points. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to get both at the same time.

 

[oz_mark]

It is quite possible that they have some sort of marketing arrangement.

I got a docket deal last week to get 150 points for a load of Goodman Fielder bread (Wonder White, Helga etc).......

 

[thewinchester]

Flybuys, Coles and Colgate must have some sort of interesting marketing agreement.

Not an interesting marketing arrangement at all. It's all the product of data mining.

You can read about the subject chapter and verse online, but the short story is FlyBuys thru your purchase and transaction history have amassed a warehouse-sized amount of data about you. There's a team of specialists who work at all loyalty companies who's whole raison d'être is to mine these data warehouses, line up promotions with vendors and target them at exactly the right people, at the right time, who'll actually use them.

I know it works because of just how good the data is at giving me the right promotion at the right time. For example, the data clearly indicates that I do my biggest value shop on a Sunday - so generally by Wednesday there's bonus promotions on the email offering bonus points for an increased basket size, or specific products which my history shows I generally buy only on a weekend (roast meat cuts for example).

Same again around cleaning products. The data gives them an indication around how long it is between purchases - and generally within a few weeks of me needing a specific category of cleaning product (say glass wipes) they'll be a docket deal offering bonus points or a discount on a specific brand or line.

And outside of the discount prediction framework, this data is also analysed in concert with non-loyalty transactions which can allow stores to predict necessary stock levels needed at any time of the year. With the data (inc. other data sources such as holiday information, or things that'll indicate demand spikes such as sporting match schedules and the like), stores can easily plan their inventory needs several months in advance to ensure they have the exact right amount of inventory on the shelves when they need it.

The supermarket business as a whole has got extremely smart in the last 5-10yrs with the volumes of data they have access to, the first sign of this was Woolworths Limited's major overhaul of their whole of IT and Line of Business applications environment under Project Refresh. As their and other supermarket systems improve, it allows them & loyalty providers to leverage the value in the 1s and 0s to the point where they have a seemingly intimate and sometimes creepy seeing eye relationship with the consumer.

 

[drross]

love all this data mining stuff!!!

 

[rainbowgirl]

I receive very few targeted offers on specific items but the ones I do are usually fairly spot-on. I took up the Colgate sensitive toothpaste one because it was the type of product my family uses and it was on special at the time I took up offer. I'm surprised I haven't gotten more product specific offers as flybuys have collected lots of data from my bulk spends where I usually stock up on the same products. I didn't take up the colgate docket deal as the other type of toothpaste we use wasn't on special before the docket expired.

 

[rainbowgirl]

My partner's card got an offer for 75 bonus points for spending $7.50 on biscuits. If I can stack this with another offer I might consider using it.

 

[oz_mark]

Go a few deals for 100 points for buying a fruit/veg item, or 200 points for an item from the meat department.

 

[rainbowgirl]

I like your deals oz_mark. I buy at least one fruit and veg item from coles each week and occasionally get meat.

My docket deals from the weekend were for ice cream and nurofen. I don't think I'll be getting either of these in the next few weeks so I probably won't use them.

 

[Major]

The only docket deals I have been getting lately are buy a bottle of sav blanc from liquorland and get one free.

 

[Jurahn]

love all this data mining stuff!!!

Well, I'd have to say Coles'/Flybuys data mining is cough! I shop at Coles every week and regularly receive docket deals - every single one has been for "buy this, get a bonus that" or buy one of these, get one free" .... at Liquorland. I don't drink alcohol and have never bought ANYTHING at Liquorland, and the last time hubby bought anything there was probably about 8 years ago - so how on earth does their computer program come up with the idea of offering me constant specials/deals for a place I've never shopped for a product I never buy?

Have never received any docket deals for bonus points or food or grocery items, only these stupid Liquorland ones. :evil:

 

[rainbowgirl]

I find the Liquorland docket deals rather annoying. I can usually see from a distance how many barcodes have printed on my receipt and I get excited when I see more than just the fuel voucher. When I realise that one of them is a Liquorland docket it's quite a let down.

I don't think all of the Liquorland docket deals are targeted. I've only shopped at Liquorland once in the last 2 years and the deals have nothing to do with what I purchased. These Liquorland docket deals also get printed on receipts where people haven't scanned a flybuys card so it sounds like Liquorland are trying to drum up business in many ways. I have noticed their are also Liquorland deals on the back of receipts as well.

 

[rainbowgirl]

I got a triple points docket deal when I was buying some half price Easter eggs yesterday. It is a once only use and has to be used by April 9. This was quite a nice surprise. I haven't had a non liquorland docket deal in a long time. I wonder whether this was a response to the fact that this week is the last week of the current coupon promotion.

 

[rainbowgirl]

I got a docket deal for $5 off my next shopping trip over $80. Sounds good. Has to be used by May 7. I have been doing small shopping trips at Coles for the last few weeks so I can probably use it to stock up on some non perishable food next Friday