‘The world doesn’t need another loyalty scheme’ warns Westfield marketing boss

John Batistich

The marketing boss of Australia’s largest shopping centre owner has warned retailers and brands need to forge direct relationships with their customers as the physical and digital retail world continue to collide, or risk being “dead in the end”.

John Batistich, marketing and digital director of Westfield owner Scentre Group, told a conference: “The world doesn’t need another loyalty program, it doesn’t need another reward scheme. We are full of that stuff. What we do need is a relationship with brands that we care about.”

The comments came as Batistich spoke of the “customer journey”, arguing that while the internet dominates the research phase, “something switches when it gets to the buy stage”.