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July 25 2008
Top e-tailer raises red top condom condemnation
Tesco.com marketing exec "given further training" after adding something for the weekend to couple's online shopping basket
In a faux pas that had tabloid headline writers rubbing their hands with glee this week, a newly recruited Tesco.com marketing exec mistakenly added a pack of 12 condoms to a customer's list of recent purchases – instead of simply flagging them up as a promotional item.
"When Lynn Newby logged on to her online Tesco account she was horrified to discover her Clubcard had been used to purchase a pack of 12 condoms," shrieked the Daily Mail.
"Believing the only logical explanation to be that her partner was having an affair, devastated Lynn confronted Andy Allott and prepared to cancel a dream holiday to Mexico and end their four-year relationship," it continued. "She accused Andy of having a secret fling and refused to believe his denial, claiming the evidence was on screen in black and white."
The problem resolved itself when a friend told Lynn that both she and a local Tesco employee had also found a pack of condoms on their shopping lists. Tesco sent Miss Newby a cheque for £100 and a personal letter from Sir Terry Leahy saying staff were to get further training as a matter of urgency and that items "of a sensitive nature" would not be included in promotional information in future.
So, here's Internet Retailing's little something for your weekend: Do you have any items that sections of your customer base would consider to be 'of a sensitive nature'? Do you have systems in place to make sure that cross-promotions, up-sells etc can't offend? Or is it inevitable that things like this are just going to happen sometimes?
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