Podcast

What is a reward actually worth? In Newscast 30, I join Tom Peace, Anya Jones, Dr Jacqui Nortje, Caroline Papadatos and Dom Winchester to explore how coffee, digital badges, streaks and access can influence behaviour, and when low- or no-cost rewards create real commercial value.

That small story says a lot about where loyalty sits in South Africa today. I joined Pippa Hudson and Wendy on Consumer Talk to unpack the winners of this year’s South African Loyalty Awards, where I chair the judging panel, and what separates the best programmes from the rest.

Loyalty is no longer a nice to have

The Truth x BrandMapp Loyalty Whitepaper shows that 85% of economically active South Africans use loyalty programmes, and the average user belongs to more than ten. We are one of the most advanced and sophisticated loyalty markets in the world.

More importantly, South Africans rank loyalty programmes as the third most common way they fight the rising cost of living, after buying less clothing and going out less. This is how households make the month work. Brands that release rewards mid-month, as Capitec does, understand this. They meet customers where they actually need help.

Instant savings or saving up? Customers want both

Checkers Xtra Savings, a winner at this year’s awards, is also the most used loyalty programme among economically active South Africans. Its model is simple: have the card, get the best price in store.

But instant discounts are only part of the picture. Our research shows 40% of loyalty users want to be rewarded instantly, 35% prefer to build up points for bigger rewards, and 25% want both. I see this in my own behaviour. I love a free coffee in the moment, and I also love saving up for flight discounts or a gift for my child’s birthday. Any brand operating in this space has to design for both.

Why eBucks keeps winning

FNB eBucks took seven of the 24 categories this year, eight if you include Loyalty Person of the Year, Pieter Woodhatch. That matches last year’s result. After more than two decades, staying at the top of your category requires constant improvement, and eBucks delivers it through continuous innovation and a strong digital focus.

What stands out most is segmentation. FNB serves everyone from private wealth clients to customers stretching a lower salary to the end of the month. eBucks is tailored per banking product, so a private wealth client gets benefits built around travel and lounge access, while an entry-level customer gets value that matters to them, like savings on groceries. They also won the B2B category, and they compete and win internationally, including recognition as the best financial services loyalty programme in the world.

What about my data?

A listener raised a common concern: that loyalty programmes exist only to harvest and sell personal data. South Africa has some of the strongest consumer protection legislation in the world under POPIA. Joining a loyalty programme is a permission-based relationship, and your data can only be used for the purpose you agreed to. When you open your Sixty60 app and see discounts relevant to what you buy, that is data working for you.

Where data does get sold, it is usually because consumers clicked through permissions on a less reputable platform without reading the terms. The programmes that win at the South African Loyalty Awards use data carefully. This is no longer the Wild West. It is a well-governed industry.

What the winners do better

Judging comes down to balance. A programme that is great for the consumer but costs the brand with no commercial return is not sustainable. A programme that only serves the brand gives customers no reason to engage. The winners get both right: less friction and more excitement for the customer, and a real return on investment for the brand.

That is why our panel combines loyalty professionals with consumer champions like Wendy, who has been a judge from the start and always challenges our thinking from the consumer’s side. It is not about the flashiest app or the cleverest gamification. It is about what makes sense for the customer and for the business.

This balance is exactly what my team at Truth helps brands build every day