The Clicks ClubCard loyalty programme boasts over 12-million active members and a 80% usage rate
South Africa boasts a mature loyalty market with a growing number of economically active consumers making use of loyalty and reward programmes. The recently released South African Loyalty Landscape Whitepaper by Truth and BrandMapp revealed that 82% of South Africans use loyalty programmes, up from 76% in 2023 and 67% a decade ago.
More than a third of consumers in the BrandMapp survey said they were using loyalty programmes more than last year, up from 30% to 35%.
On average, South Africans actively use 10.3 programmes with women using slightly more at 11.1 and men slightly less at 9.6. Mass market consumers, defined as those who fall just under the R10,000 per month income level but have access to home internet and use online banking and e-mail, use 8.3 programmes on average.
The survey provides definitive evidence that loyalty programmes do influence shopping behaviour, with 77% of respondents saying it determines where they buy groceries, where they buy fuel (51%), where they bank (32%), where they shop for clothes (72%), where they shop for health and pharmaceutical products (30%), and which restaurants and coffee shops they use (26%).
The 2024/2025 South African Loyalty Landscape Whitepaper reveals that Clicks ClubCard has reclaimed its position as the undisputed leader in the loyalty space after being voted the most used loyalty programme among both economically active and mass market consumers. This is the fifth time in the last nine years that this accolade has gone to ClubCard.
Established 30 years ago, Clicks ClubCard now boasts over 12-million active members and an 80% usage rate among economically active consumers. The success of the programme is rooted in its simplicity, accessibility, easily redeemable rewards, relevance and differentiated positioning.
Dr Melanie van Rooy, Clicks Group chief marketing officer, says what allows ClubCard to continue to lead in the loyalty arena is the fact that it ensures sustained value and consistently fosters loyalty with innovative industry-leading benefits.
“ClubCard is a true loyalty card that provides members with an opportunity to earn up to 10% cashback one of the highest earn rates in the retail vertical in addition to promotional savings. The programme also meets the needs of the different life stages of its members through Baby and Senior Clubs,” she explains.
Research conducted by Clicks and supported by other independent studies indicates that cashback is the reward mechanism of choice for consumers.
BrandMapp research reveals that 41% of South Africans want to be instantly rewarded for loyalty to a brand and 39% want to build up points for big rewards, though these are not mutually exclusive.
Van Rooy says that 90% of ClubCard cashback earned is redeemed, highlighting its role in helping customers stretch their budgets, particularly relevant in the current economic climate.
“Over the past three decades ClubCard has returned over R7.5bn to members in cashback,” she says.
Cashback rewards can be increased across a network of partners in health,
BILLIONS IN CASHBACK TO MEMBERS
Innovations are key to ensuring that ClubCard remains relevant and continuously improves the customer experience while at the same time driving loyalty and engagement
DR MELANIE VAN ROOY Clicks Group chief marketing officer
beauty, wellness and lifestyle including Engen, Discovery, ARC, Sorbet and SpecSavers among others, as part of customers daily shopping journey. In total, Clicks has curated a strong ecosystem of 14 partnerships designed to enhance its feel good, pay less promise. These partnerships add real value by rewarding members for their everyday spending.
In today s competitive retail environment, personalisation has become a crucial pillar. ClubCard members receive communication tailored to their shopping habits and which is supported by data-driven targeted offers. The group has integrated AI to personalise product recommendations, offers and creative content while its Chat.ClubCard system leverages GenAI for seamless datadriven decision-making, enhancing campaign outcomes and customer insights. Recognising that its most valuable customers are those who engage across both digital and physical channels, the retailer focuses on omnichannel personalisation.
Clicks launched an app in 2024 to further personalise offerings. The app allows members to access their digital ClubCard, track points and cashback, receive personalised offers and manage prescriptions. A physical card has traditionally acted as the loyalty identifier. Over the past three years, however, the gap has narrowed between the number of consumers wanting to swipe a card (66% in 2024, down from 74% in 2022) versus using an app (34% in 2024, up from
28% in 2022), says the Truth and BrandMapp Loyalty Whitepaper.
Interestingly, over 55s are more likely to use a card than any other channel.
BrandMapp s research reveals that the youth classified as those under the age of 25 continue to use less loyalty programmes than older consumers. Van Rooy says Clicks has started to leverage younger consumers via AI-driven interactions on Meta and TikTok, an innovation which is helping the health, beauty and wellness retailer to deliver enhanced customer experiences and improved commercial outcomes.
Innovations are key to ensuring that ClubCard remains relevant and continuously improves the customer experience while at the same time driving loyalty and engagement, she says.
While Clicks ClubCard tops the overall leader board, including the retail sector in the most used category, FNB eBucks takes pole position among economically active consumers in the financial services category.
Capitec Live Better is the most used financial services programme among mass market consumers. In the restaurant and quick service restaurant category, Spur Family Card was ranked highest among both economically active and mass market consumers.
VodaBucks Rewards ranked highest in telco leadership for both economically active and mass market consumers while Shell V+ was the highest ranked fuel loyalty programme in both market sectors.
PARTNERSHIP
THE PROGRAMME CONSUMERS CAN’T LIVE WITHOUT
Financial service brands dominate the top 10 loyalty programmes, which South Africans says they can’t live without, according to the latest Truth and BrandMapp Loyalty Landscape Whitepaper.
“In the financial services sector, loyalty programme members want to be rewarded for being entrenched with the institution. In other words, the more product categories they are involved with, the bigger they want the reward to be,” says Alicia Raynard, the executive responsible for Absa Rewards at Absa.
Comarch’s Customer Loyalty Predictions 2025 and Beyond report reveals that while consumers have customer loyalty programme fatigue in developed countries, there remains growth in participation within emerging markets, which, in general, display higher engagement, driven by the novelty and growing popularity of loyalty initiatives.
Raynard agrees with this assessment, adding that Absa’s data reveals that consumers are looking to get value from their everyday household spend including groceries, fuel, health and beauty and travel spend.
“The most appealing loyalty currency is cashback, which members are spending on everyday essentials,” she says.
This trend has informed Absa Rewards partners. In the grocery category, Absa
year, was initially a subscription-based programme. Since doing away with the subscription fee in 2023, membership has grown exponentially.
The five-tier programme offers up to 30% cashback to members. The more entrenched customers are with Absa’s products, the higher the cashback they receive.
The majority of members join through the Absa app, which offers guidance on how members can move up tiers. In the past year, the programme has returned just under half a billion in pure cashback to its members.
The programmes now boasts more than 2-million active users and over a 30% growth in members when compared to a year ago.
“Personalisation has been a key focus as the programme has evolved, ensuring the programme remains relevant,” says Raynard.
Rewards has partnered with Pick n Pay, Woolworths and Food Lover’s Market. In addition, the programme has partnered with Sasol, Travelstart and Dis-Chem, the latter which it partnered with during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Absa Rewards, which is 16 years old this
kind of personalisation, including how loyalty programmes engage with their members and show up as relevant, has become critically important to their success.”
There is no question that the programme has helped to drive loyalty and engagement with the bank, she says. “Absa customers who participate in Absa Rewards are 44% more engaged in terms of card spend and are retained two to three times longer than non-members.”
“In 2024 and 2025 we ran a campaign where each member received an e-mail highlighting their unique spending trends and the total value of cashback they had received from the programme for the year. This
In 2021, the bank introduced Absa Advantage, which provides Absa Rewards members with instant rewards such as meal vouchers for banking smarter and for completing challenges.
Interestingly, Absa scored highly with both economically active consumers and mass market consumers in the Truth and BrandMapp Loyalty Landscape Whitepaper, with 25% of mass market consumers and 20% of economically active survey respondents voting for Absa Rewards as the loyalty programme they can’t live without.
Programmes that consumers can’t live without reveals a more significant measure of customer satisfaction than usage, says founder and CEO of Truth, Amanda Cromhout.
GIVING SHOPPERS EXACTLY WHAT THEY NEED
TFG Rewards continues to enhance customer experiences, drive engagement and create meaningful long-term relationships with members
As consumer expectations continue to shift, loyalty programmes are under pressure to adapt to stay relevant.
Lukasz Dubiel, loyalty solutions consulting director at Comarch, explains: “Loyalty is not a stone; it’s like water always seeking new ways to spread, grow and dominate.”
He says loyalty programmes should be continuously looking for new opportunities and features to offer customers because competitors are doing the same thing.
Fionna Ronnie, head of TFG customer and loyalty, says TFG Rewards continues to refine its approach by leveraging technology and customer-centric strategies to connect with a diverse audience from Gen Z to Gen X and spanning high-end shoppers to price-conscious consumers who shop across the group’s extensive brand portfolio including Foschini, Sportscene, Jet, @home, American Swiss and Markham.
“The global loyalty landscape is evolving rapidly, with leading retailers implementing cutting-edge innovations to enhance customer engagement, retention and brand loyalty,” says Ronnie.
Comarch’s Customer Loyalty Predictions 2025 and Beyond report confirms this, revealing that loyalty programmes are no longer just transactional, but are now offering businesses an opportunity to forge deeper emotional relationships with customers.
Customers increasingly seek brands that understand them and genuinely care about their needs and preferences. In an environment where consumers have endless options, demonstrating empathy and investing in long-term relationships with customers defines sustained business success, says the report.
Globally, gamification is on the rise as companies seek to make their loyalty programmes more rewarding for consumers and encourage repeat engagement. To create a more interactive experience, TFG Rewards has incorporated gamification into its loyalty programme. It offers shopping, third-party lifestyle vouchers and competition entries in exchange for non-
transactional behaviours to help drive greater programme understanding, engagement and shopper frequency.
“Following a successful trial, gamification is now a core feature of the programme, providing members with more ways to engage beyond traditional spending,” says Ronnie.
Brands like Starbucks have successfully leveraged gamification in their loyalty programme. Starbucks Rewards, for instance, offers a tiered system where members earn “stars” for purchases, unlocking exclusive perks and free products.
Personalisation is another buzzword in the loyalty space with consumers increasingly demanding personalised offers.
Recognising the importance of delivering relevant and timely offers, TFG Rewards has integrated AI-driven data science models
Global innovation points to a shift towards flexible and dynamic rewards, giving members more choice in how they are rewarded
FIONNA
RONNIE TFG head of customer and loyalty
that draw from its extensive data ecosystem to drive hyper-personalisation. The latter goes beyond traditional personalisation by offering highly tailored, bespoke offers and experiences based on individual preferences and behaviours.
“Campaigns that leverage AI enable the delivery of more precise and tailored rewards,” says Ronnie.
“This advanced data-driven strategy has led to significant improvements in customer response rates, incremental sales and overall return on investment. Much like leading global brands, TFG Rewards is setting a benchmark for AI-driven personalisation.”
Global retailers such as Walmart have pioneered the use of AI in loyalty and customer experience. TFG has also invested in AI and machine learning to enhance its customer engagement efforts, reveals Ronnie.
“The implementation of an advanced machine learning operational environment and AI-driven data science capabilities enables more effective personalisation and decision-making, ensuring that the programme can anticipate and respond to customer needs more efficiently,” she says, adding that TFG Rewards’ AI-powered strategy is delivering significant value to both customers and the business.
A relatively new trend in the local context is an emerging expectation that loyalty programmes can and should play a role in social causes. The latest BrandMapp research found that 13% of survey respondents said they expect loyalty programmes to support social and environmental causes, and 5% said they would like to redeem points into social or environmental causes.
Causes that respondents said deserve to be supported include education, genderbased violence, youth issues, poverty, health, social issues, animal welfare, crime, early childhood development, feeding schemes, environmental issues, food security, sports development, wildlife conservation and housing.
In 2024, TFG Rewards partnered with
Yaga, an online platform for buying and selling preloved fashion. The initiative encouraged South Africans to resell their preloved TFG clothing items on Yaga in exchange for TFG Rewards vouchers.
“Demonstrating that South African consumers are focused on sustainability, over 25,000 vouchers (redeemable at all TFG retail stores across South Africa) were issued to individual Yaga platform resellers within a four-week campaign period,” says Ronnie.
The collaboration with Yaga, she adds, aligns with the group’s broader efforts to promote sustainability, supporting waste reduction and environmental awareness while offering tangible benefits to customers.
Another local loyalty programme that has aligned itself to a social cause is MySchool, MyVillage, MyPlanet, which turns everyday shopping into a force for good. Members simply swipe their card, and a portion of their spend supports schools, charities or conservation efforts at no extra cost. It’s a simple way to give back and drive meaningful change.
As loyalty programmes continue to evolve, their success depends on their ability to balance innovation with real customer value including integrating personalised rewards, leveraging technology and offering engaging experiences.
TFG Rewards is working towards a model that remains adaptable and relevant in an ever-changing retail and consumer landscape, says Ronnie.
Looking ahead, global innovation points to a shift towards flexible and dynamic rewards, giving members more choice in how they are rewarded. This includes a variety of options such as exclusive experiences and one-to-one personalisation tailored to individual preferences. By staying at the forefront of these developments, TFG Rewards and other leading loyalty programmes will continue to enhance customer experiences, drive engagement and create meaningful longterm relationships with their members.
