Here's who came out tops in SA's first loyalty programme awards

Clicks ClubCard, eBucks, Kauai — these are the country’s best in their categories, according to the results of SA’s first loyalty programme awards, announced on Thursday.

The awards were launched by Truth, a Cape Town-based loyalty and customer relationship management (CRM) consultancy. Ten experienced local and international loyalty and CRM professionals* rated the entrants on a range of criteria, including the benefits enjoyed by members, the impact the loyalty programme has had on their business and their use of technology.

Clicks ClubCard won the retail category, being rated extremely consumer-centric, with a low barrier to entry, rich rewards and impressive representation — 78% of Clicks customers are active ClubCard members.

FNB’s eBucks was a clear winner in the financial services category, thanks to its multilayered reward levels, its ease of use and huge value for members, as evidenced by its 90% redemption rate.

The judges unanimously rated Kauai’s loyalty programme as the best in the restaurant category, its app combining loyalty and rewards with user-friendly customer service features, such as the ability to order ahead and pay within the app. A “frictionless” customer experience is key to its success.

Winner of the fourth big category, “Other”, was MySchool MyVillage MyPlanet, which has led the way in how to use a loyalty programme for corporate social investment (CSI), raising more than R7m for schools and charities every month.

Sanlam Reality won “Best use of data analytics/CRM applications” for its targeted CRM campaigns.

eBucks claimed a second award for “Most innovative use of technology for loyalty” for its pioneering efforts to constantly offer frictionless experiences to its customers and being at the forefront of many industry “firsts”, delivered through the eBucks multichannel platform.

Vodacom won “Best loyalty marketing campaign” for its Summer Campaign, which has successfully run since 2017.

“Loyalty personality of the year” was awarded to eBucks CEO Johan Moolman for driving continuous innovation in the loyalty industry.

*Wendy Knowler was among the awards’ 10-member judging panel. She was not paid for her participation

GET IN TOUCH: You can contact Wendy Knowler for advice with your consumer issues via email: consumer@knowler.co.za or on Twitter: @wendyknowler