clipped from: www.theage.com.au   
Woolies' new card will trail shoppers
Woolworths CEO Michael Luscombe at the launch of the new Woolworths credit card in Sydney.

AN UNPRECEDENTED mountain of data will be amassed by the nation's leading retail company with the launch of a sophisticated credit card that can follow shoppers on their spending trails and be used to entice them to buy more products.

a sophisticated loyalty program capable of capturing and then sending a shopper's purchasing details back to a central database. The database is linked to the company's recently launched fuel voucher card.

The card will not only collect data on grocery purchases; it will also record information about purchases through Woolworths-owned outlets, from clothing to homewares, petrol, alcohol and electronics.