Overseas retailers were already using similar apps to deliver personalised messages and pricing to customers.
"Personalisation spins most people's wheels. As more information is collected, people expect companies to do more with it in a way that's valuable to them."
Supermarket shoppers in 2025 could expect electronic screens that change depending on who passed them, he said.
Countdown marketing manager Bridget Lamont said retailers knew personalisation was important.
The supermarket chain has been sending personalised emails since 2009.
Last year that system was relaunched as myCountdown, a site that collates Onecard customers' favourite products, relevant recipes and how-to videos and news from their store.
"I shop at Countdown St Johns and I have a dog and no children, so the set of offers it presents to me are things that are on sale at St Johns and may be related to dogs," Lamont said.
"I'll also get offers on a particular cut of meat I buy."
She said the response was good and customers who read the emails spent more at Countdown than those who did not.
Stephen England-Hall, chief executive of Loyalty NZ, which runs Fly Buys, said loyalty schemes could do more but there needed to be balance. "No one wants to be spammed. That will be handled by personalisation.
"The consumer landscape is evolving. The more personalised it can get, the better intelligence about what people are looking for, the more relevant the programme will be and the longer it will last."
Sarah Hayden, customer relations and digital manager for Jeanswest, said the clothing company was monitoring customers' Facebook activity and rewarding those who liked their posts, or posted photos of them wearing its products, with tempting discounts through its loyalty scheme.
From next month, staff will be able to access customer information. "They will be able to see what you've bought, that you're a size 10 and bring things to you you might like," Hayden said.
Goodale said because customers had to opt into loyalty schemes, they were easy to get out of.
But don't think you have to be in a loyalty scheme to get a good deal. You can just shop around.
What they learned while you were shopping
Fly Buys: Fly Buys can identify the customer and access contact details and information on transactions associated with their Fly Buys card. Retailers ask Fly Buys to email targeted customers, for example an ad for barbecue cleaner to people who have bought a barbecue or relevant specials. The retailers have limited access to the information - they see what customers have bought but not their names or other Fly Buys-related purchases.
Airpoints: Air New Zealand said when given consent, it offered deals to clients who regularly visited specific locations, including offering them special accommodation rates.
Onecard: Countdown can see your Onecard transaction history as well as your name, address and contact details. Customers can choose to provide their date of birth and information about their interests.
Smartfuel: Retailers know where a card has been swiped and how much has been spent but generally do not know what the customer has bought. Retailers cannot access other Smartfuel retailers' information nor can they identify the customer. The Smartfuel programme holds the information linking the purchases to a particular cardholder.
Jeanswest: Jeanswest holds customers' contact details, age and data about their transactions so they'll know what size jeans you wore last time you bought a pair, the styles you like and what offers you might be interested in.
