These are the most well-liked loyalty programs in South Africa.

Cash back is still the favored perk for people who are actively engaged in the economy.

According to the most recent “South African Loyalty Landscape Whitepaper” by Truth & BrandMapp, the utilization of loyalty programs in South Africa has increased from 67% in 2015 to 76% in 2023/2024 across both gender and economic levels.

The percentage of male and female users is equal for the first time in the nearly ten years that loyalty program usage has been monitored. However, only 55% of under 25-year-olds who are actively employed use loyalty programs, compared to 72% of their less fortunate counterparts in the same age range.

According to the report, Checkers Xtra Savings is the most popular loyalty program among affluent consumers, surpassing Clicks ClubCard by a small margin. The most popular mass market consumer program is Shoprite Xtra Savings, which is followed by Capitec Live Better.

According to the report, people who are actively engaged in the economy continue to prioritize receiving cash back. Although mass market consumers prefer data or airtime, they also value cashback. Local customers are not alone in favoring cashback incentives; according to a recent Annex Cloud survey, 46% of its global followers choose cashback incentives, while 36% prefer point-based programs.

While some customers like to accumulate rewards, others like to feel satisfied right away. 47% of the latter group, according to the report, would rather do both. These are the most astute and picky members of the loyalty program.

Customers are using loyalty programs more than they did the previous year, despite the challenging economic environment. The study makes the point that programs have a higher potential for return the more users invest in the ones from which they truly benefit. Compared to mass market consumers, wealthier people participate in nearly twice as many loyalty programs.

The three primary incentives for economically active customers to participate in loyalty programs are the ability to receive rewards promptly (45%), accumulate points for larger prizes (41%), and increase spending to receive more rewards (35%).

In the general market, accumulating points for larger prizes (48%), earning more rewards (61%) and preventing points from expiring before being used (33%) are the three main motivators.

Truth suggests letting active members accumulate points at their discretion or use them right away as long as they remain active. “Any time frame that makes sense for the loyalty brand might be considered “active.” Retailers typically consider a 12-month period, while grocery stores may do this more frequently. and a vendor of general products or furnishings, with less regularity),” claims Cromhout.

It’s interesting to note that no one’s use of loyalty programs is primarily driven by program tiers.
Loyalty programs have an impact on the locations of economically active consumers’ grocery (78%), fuel (55%), bank services (48%), clothing (33%), health and pharmaceutical products (35%), and dining establishments (27%).

Loyalty programs have an impact on the shopping habits of mass market consumers with regards to grocery (71%), financial services (51%), apparel (35%), health products and pharmaceuticals (29%), and restaurants and coffee shops (18%).

For economically active consumers, Discovery Vitality and Capitec Live Better are the must-have programs; for mass market consumers, it’s Capitec Live Better.