Ocado has begun trialling a points-based loyalty scheme weeks after launching its savings pass.

The new scheme, which is being trialled with about 10% of customers, allows shoppers to earn one loyalty point for every £2 they spend and then cash in 100 points for a £1 voucher. Ocado hopes the new scheme will be a better way of encouraging loyalty than printed vouchers.

“We’ll run it and watch it - we need to see whether as a result customers spend more money with us than other retailers,” CEO Tim Steiner told The Grocer.

By offering extra points at certain times or to particular customers such as delivery pass holders, Ocado will also see if the loyalty scheme proves an effective tool for guiding shopping habits.

For Ocado, the loyalty scheme had to go further to prove its worth than equivalents at other grocers, said Steiner. “The primary reason why the likes of Tesco and Sainsbury’s do their loyalty schemes is the acquisition of data,” he said. “They’re funding the points by the fact they’re acquiring data that is of value to them and their suppliers, but we have that already thanks to our online model.”

The online grocer is also trying to drive loyalty with its new savings pass, which allows customers to buy year-long access to 10% discounts on groups of branded products.