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The partnership, first announced in April, initially only covered Shoprite and Checkers stores, as well as the Sixty60 delivery service.
From 16 July, UCount members can now earn up to 30% back in-store at the new participating brands, including Petshop Science, Shoprite LiquorShops and Checkers LiquorShops.
These new brands are also available on Sixty60, so clients can earn UCount Rewards Points when buying via the app.
Standard Bank said that since the launch, it has seen a strong response, with a significant increase in member spend across Shoprite Group stores.
The bank’s partnership with Astron/Caltex has given some indication of how impactful a rewards programme can be in driving traffic to certain brands.
Trade Intelligence estimated that the UCount partnership with the fuel retailer has resulted in an 83% increase in customer traffic to Caltex/Astron petrol stations versus competitors.
Standard Bank and Shoprite are hoping for a similar kind of impact with the new partnership between Africa’s largest bank and the continent’s largest retailer.
The partnership between Standard Bank and Shoprite Checkers leverages the retailer’s network of over 3,000 stores and digital platforms like Sixty60 to deliver personalised rewards.
One of the newest additions, Petshop Science, is among the fastest growing Shoprite Group brands, as the demand for premium pet food and specialised pet care rises.
The pet care retailer now has 144 stores across eight provinces after opening 18 new stores in the last six months alone.
The expansion will also enable UCount members to spend their reward points at the new brands alongside the existing offering.
Retail rewards battle
Standard Bank’s partnership with Shoprite came on the same day that FNB and Pick n Pay expanded their collaboration to a full retail partnership.
FNB’s collaboration with Pick n Pay means that customers can no longer earn eBucks at Checkers stores.
From 1 April 2025, the bank’s retail and commercial customers will now all earn up to 30% of their spend back in eBucks when using Pick n Pay’s on-demand delivery service, asap!.
In addition, the bank’s customers will earn up to 20% back on all items when shopping in-store at Pick n Pay.
This follows the successful launch of FNB and Pick n Pay’s partnership in 2024, when the two companies teamed up to offer customers ‘99c bread’ rewards.
From 1 November 2024, qualifying FNB Private Banking eBucks customers could also earn up to 30% of their spend back in eBucks when using Pick n Pay’s asap! and up to 20% back on all items purchased in-store.
FNB revealed that the early stages of this partnership reflected a strong 20% increase in activity on Pick n Pay Clothing and Pick n Pay’s asap!.
Currently, 1.4 million FNB customers benefit from the partnership from the bank’s total eBucks client base of 6.4 million.
The bank said in March that the partnership has exceeded expectations, with FNB seeing behavioural changes despite being available to only 20% of its customer base up until 1 April.
FNB Private clients who opted in have increased their spending, and 90% of this increase is from customers who previously spent less than 20% with Pick n Pay.
A large share of these private banking clients, all earning above R720,000 a year, have now shifted to the retailer as their primary grocer, shopping full grocery baskets.
The up-to-30% discount for on-demand delivery through Pick n Pay asap! has driven a 98% increase in online shopping amongst these customers since November 2024.
Spending on clothing has also risen, showing that the partnership’s appeal extends beyond groceries to other product categories.
The partnership will also expand to FNB’s one million small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and larger enterprises banked within its business banking division.
These clients will be able to get up to 30% back in eBucks on their Pick n Pay asap! purchases and up to 20% in-store, including Pick n Pay Hyper.
Businesses can earn eBucks on all purchases at Pick n Pay – including office essentials and sundries such as business stationery, office kitchen & cafeteria items, cleaning & hygiene items and more.
FNB is also growing its physical presence in Pick n Pay stores, with it rolling out 33 new FNB banking kiosks in the retailer’s stores countrywide by June 2025, with plans to grow this to 100 stores by June 2026.
Issued on Daily Investor by Shaun Jacobs | https://dailyinvestor.com/banking/95111/big-changes-to-standard-banks-shoprite-ucount-rewards/
