Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper is by far the most used loyalty programme in SA with Clicks’ ClubCard and Woolworths’ WRewards coming in at second and third place.

This is according to the 2016 Truth Loyalty Whitepaper, a report on the current state of loyalty in SA.

Of the 27,446 respondents who were surveyed, 71% said they belonged to the Smart Shopper programme while 62% said they had a ClubCard.

Edgars’ Thank U, which ranked at second place in 2015 fell to fourth place, with only 46% of respondents stating they were part of the programme.

Amanda Cromhout, founder and CEO of Truth, said SA there had been rapid growth in loyalty programmes available to customers in SA across almost every industry sector.

"More recently we’ve seen a number of brands really up their loyalty game in terms of innovation and designing offerings that their customers really want. The figures reflect this because now customers actually experience tangible benefits," she said.

In banking, FNB’s eBucks programme was the most used, followed by Absa’s Rewards, Standard Bank’s UCount and Nedbank’s Greenbacks.

Other insights in the report included the types of rewards customers preferred. Cash ranked first while referring a friend to gain access to a reward was ranked as the least desirable.

Pick n Pay CEO Richard Brasher said the Smart Shopper gave customers something to treat themselves with.

"People grocery shop on a regular basis. The Smart Shopper allows us to understand what it is they are putting in their shopping bag. It’s a win-win situation for the customer and the retailer," said Brasher.