Bertelsmann Marketing Services repositions DeutschlandCard as commerce media platform; company aims to become Germany's largest cross-retailer marketing platform with 10 million active users

“DeutschlandCard,” part of Bertelsmann Marketing Services, is undergoing a strategic realignment. Going forward, it will be a “commerce media platform” that helps brand manufacturers from the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector to strengthen direct communication with their end customers. The goal is to become the largest cross-retailer marketing platform in Germany.

“DeutschlandCard,” one of Germany’s leading customer loyalty programs, is undergoing a comprehensive strategic repositioning. At the start of the new year, the company, which is part of Bertelsmann Marketing Services, transformed its platform into an “agile commerce media platform for highly personalized direct-to-consumer (D2C) marketing.” DeutschlandCard’s new digital focus is aimed especially at brands from the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector that wish to increase their reach through direct customer communication. FMCG refers to inexpensive and regularly consumed retail products such as food, cleaning products, beverages, and cosmetics. With more than ten million active users, DeutschlandCard intends to become the largest cross-retailer marketing platform in Germany.

Users upload receipts to ‘DeutschlandCard’ app

“Our market environment has changed dynamically in recent years,” explains Dirk Kemmerer, CEO of Bertelsmann Marketing Services and Managing Director of DeutschlandCard. “In a digitized world, consumers expect personalized experiences and tailored offers in real-time. Meanwhile, consumer goods manufacturers want to strengthen direct communication with end customers. So our transformation into a cross-retailer commerce media platform is not only timely, but essential. We are creating a data-driven environment that brings brands and users together more effectively and intelligently links marketing with commerce – a solution for modern online marketing that is unprecedented in Germany.”

The foundation of the new DeutschlandCard is a comprehensive, cross-retailer preference database. It will be continuously enriched with the usage and purchasing behavior of more than ten million program participants and forms the basis for a data-driven, precise approach. The database provides insights into shopping preferences, product range preferences, and e-commerce affinities, which can be systematically integrated into the design of a given offer.

This will be made possible by a receipt upload feature that is integrated into the DeutschlandCard app: Users receive an additional incentive for every receipt they scan – regardless of what they buy. This receipt upload gives brand manufacturers unprecedented deep insights into the real shopping baskets of program participants, as it renders visible all the points of sale. While a company’s own, “first-party” market data on purchasing behavior usually has to be collected at great expense, according to DeutschlandCard its new DeutschlandCard commerce media platform allows for obtaining verified, behavior-based insights and market analyses across retailers and competitors in just a few clicks.

Customized offers and campaigns

“The new DeutschlandCard not only offers FMCG brands flexible access to valuable customer groups, but also enables a direct and precise approach to consumers thanks to our independent structure,” says Detlev Rubant, Managing Director of “DeutschlandCard.” “We are opening up new opportunities for cross-retailer customer communication and promotions supported by precise measurements of purchasing behavior.”

Participating brand manufacturers can use the new DeutschlandCard to develop custom offers and campaigns that are precisely tailored to the needs and purchasing behavior of their target groups – and communicate these directly without having to go through traditional retail. The new DeutschlandCard is also significantly expanding its retailer-independent range of offers. Users can explore daily offers using the app or on the web and use a product search including a price comparison of online stores. Browsing the world of brochures will also be rewarded. The new integration will not only increase the platform’s reach and attractiveness, but also systematically target users right from the start. DeutschlandCard says it is focusing on search engine optimization and advertising (SEO and SEA measures) to increase the visibility of the new feature.

With this reorientation, DeutschlandCard is moving away from the classic multi-partner bonus program business and establishing a comprehensive commerce media platform for modern marketing, according to the press release. The new features are fully available starting immediately. A parallel continuation of the existing business will ensure that all existing partners continue to receive their contractually guaranteed services and that users can use both the existing and the new model.