In under a year, more than 5 million customers have signed up for the Checkers Xtra Savings rewards programme, making it the fastest growing program of its kind in South Africa. And to date, customers have saved over R1 billion.

Xtra Savings has been instrumental in Checkers gaining R4 billion in market share from competitors in the last financial year, according to Nielsen. It has seen a phenomenal uptake, with more than 15,000 customers a day signing up since launch in October 2019.

The programme promised no points and no levels, just instant cash savings on food and drinks. It has rapidly become one of the country’s most celebrated rewards programmes, offering effortless digital registration and savings of up to 40% on everyday grocery purchases.

To celebrate, Checkers is running a range of amazing Xtra Savings anniversary deals this month with R15 million in savings every single day. Incredible discounts are available on essentials (such as a saving of R150 on two packs of Pampers Jumbo Nappies, or R50 discount when buying three boxes of 500g Kellogg's Corn Flakes) as well as premium deals (including R100 off on 750ml Veuve Clicquot Brut).

Checkers has also accelerated the move into personalised offers and customers are now being rewarded with additional one-to-one offers on brands they love.

“The Xtra Savings programme was developed with customer-centricity at its core, and we have led industry in this regard,” explains Neil Schreuder, Chief of Strategy and Innovation for the Shoprite Group.

Central to the success of the programme has been that offers are loaded directly onto the customer’s card, making redemption of the offers seamless at the till.

“Our customers don’t have to jump through hoops to receive the benefits of this programme. There is no need to visit a kiosk or to download an app. Personalised deals are automatically loaded to customers’ Xtra Savings cards.”

The rewards delivered by Xtra Savings are transparent and significant, which Checkers believes are needed now more than ever as consumers are looking for increased value after lockdown.

“We are delivering lower prices in a time that shoppers need discounts most.  When customers are truly rewarded without the smoke and mirrors, they do come back,” says Schreuder.

Xtra Savings offers an omnichannel experience. Customers can see their deals on WhatsApp, USSD, the Checkers app, website, on leaflets and in-store. This means customers can access their deals anywhere and at any time.

Personalised offers are also available directly on WhatsApp - which Checkers believes is a first for South Africa. (Just add 087 240 5385 as a contact, say “hi” and then select option 1.)