How Boots, Tesco, Nike and others used CRM to read the market before the market spoke. 

In marketing, some tools are so misunderstood they should come with a therapist and a whiteboard. 

CRM is one of them. 

We treat it like a glorified delivery van — shuttling offers, nudging behaviour, dispatching birthday emails with surgical precision (and usually the wrong name). 

But here’s the truth no one writes in the job spec: 

CRM isn’t just how you deliver value. It’s how you discover what people value. 

The smartest brands are using CRM not to react to customer demand, but to reveal it — sometimes before customers even know what they want. 

Let’s rewind the tape. 

The Moisturiser That CRM Built 

Back in the early 2000s, Boots did something deceptively simple: it listened to its Advantage Card data. 

According to Boots’ then Director of Insight, the company noticed an unusual yet consistent spike: men buying skincare — often the same products, repeatedly, at similar times of the month. 

It wasn’t part of the men’s category at the time. In fact, the shelves didn’t really cater for it. 

But instead of ignoring the anomaly, Boots expanded the men’s grooming range. And lo and behold — a new category emerged.

[Source: The Times, Boots Advantage Card retrospective, 2004] 

This wasn’t driven by gut. Or a McKinsey slide. 

It was CRM as telescope. 

CRM as Telescope, Not Toolkit 

CRM has always suffered from a reputation problem. 

A channel. A system. A "send engine." 

But at its best, CRM is a strategic asset. 

A dataset with a heartbeat. 

Done right, it tells you: 

• Who’s buying what 

• When they’re switching 

• How their motivations are shifting 

• What’s about to become a trend 

It’s less campaign engine, more early warning system. 

Five Brands That Didn’t Just Use CRM — They Listened to It 

Here are five other examples — spanning grocery, beauty, sports, travel, and ecommerce — where CRM helped shape market strategy, not just customer journeys. 

1. Tesco Clubcard – Predicting the New Frugality

In the late 2000s recession, Tesco's Clubcard team noticed a subtle shift in purchasing patterns: a rise in own-label products and basket consolidation among lower-income families. 

It wasn’t in the headlines yet, but CRM told them it was coming. 

Tesco responded with the “Everyday Value” range, revamped its in-store experience, and shifted the tone of its marketing to reflect caution and care. 

“What customers were buying told us what they were fearing.” 

(Source: Dunnhumby archives, case study retrospective via Marketing Week) 

 Sephora – Killing Off Lazy Demographics

Sephora's Beauty Insider loyalty data showed a curious inversion: Gen Z shoppers dabbling in £200 serums, while Boomers picked up the glitter palettes. 

Traditional segmentation said: “That’s wrong.” 

CRM said: “That’s interesting.” 

So, Sephora shifted from demographics to behaviour-based personalisation — clustering users by habits, not age. 

The result? Better engagement, smarter product bundling, and influencer tie-ups that actually matched emerging behaviour. 

(Source: Forbes, 2022 – Sephora's Loyalty Personalisation Strategy) 

 Nike – Segmenting by Motivation, Not Miles

Nike combined CRM data with the Nike Run Club app, yielding a richer segmentation: 

• Wellness Runners 

• Competitive Athletes 

• Community-first Joggers 

They weren’t just tracking miles — they were understanding why people run. 

CRM then shaped product launches (like Nike Joyride for beginners) and content streams tailored to each group’s motivation. 

(Source: Harvard Business Review, “Nike’s Customer Ecosystem”, 2021) 

 Delta Airlines – CRM with Predictive Empathy

Delta used CRM fused with AI to predict customer frustration — specifically, who was most likely to churn after a travel disruption. 

Instead of blanket apologies, they deployed pre-emptive recovery comms: 

• Vouchers 

• Apology notes 

• Upgrades for high-risk flyers 

CRM shifted from cost-centre to churn-prevention machine. 

(Source: AdAge interview with Delta’s VP of Loyalty & CRM, 2023) 

 Amazon – When CRM Shapes the Shelf

Amazon didn’t wait for the eco-trend to mature. 

Its CRM and purchase history revealed rising interest in sustainably sourced and local products, well before supplier demand caught up. 

The result? “Climate Pledge Friendly” — a curated storefront based on intent signals, not merchandising trends. 

CRM told Amazon what the market wanted next. 

(Source: Amazon Press Room + Shopify’s “CRM and the New Retail”, 2021) 

 From Execution to Exploration 

So, what’s the takeaway? 

If you’re running CRM purely as a delivery mechanism, you’re playing with half the deck. 

Because buried in that clickstream, redemption rate, or abandoned browse? 

Might be your next product line. 

Your next segment. 

CRM is the first-place un-met needs show up. 

If you know where to look. 

 What This Means for You 

Ask yourself: 

• Are you using CRM to reveal needs, or just retarget them? 

• Are you surfacing patterns, or drowning in dashboards? 

• Is your loyalty programme an echo chamber — or a telescope? 

Because in a world of AI hype and short-termism, the brands who win are those who know how to listen before they speak. 

 

Final Thought 

CRM doesn’t just describe your customer. 

It describes your future. 

Use it like a telescope. 

Before someone else does. 

Have you seen CRM used this way in your work? Are you being asked to do CRM or to learn from CRM? 

By gianfranco cuzziol

Keywords: Big Data, CRM, Customer Loyalty

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