Dunnhumby, the company behind Tesco’s customer loyalty scheme, has acquired a ‘social marketing’ company based in the US.

BzzAgent gives volunteer ‘agents’ access to sample products before they are released in return for advocating those products to their friends, especially over social media. Its clients include consumer packaged goods companies such as Procter & Gamble, Unilever and L’Oreal.

The deal has been reported to be worth around $60 million. Dunnhumby, which is a wholly-owned subsidiary of supermarket giant Tesco, will continue to operate BzzAgent as a stand-alone business.

Dave Balter, the CEO of BzzAgent, said that the company is excited to leverage Dunnhumby’s shopper targeting. "Together we think we have a huge opportunity to connect the dots between shopper marketing and social media," he said.

Simon Hay, CEO of Dunnhumby, said that customer-to-customer marketing plays a key role for Dunnhumby’s clients. "The customer today is as influential as the marketing gurus were a decade ago," he said.