Just 100 days after the launch of Dis‑Chem’s reimagined Better Rewards programme, the healthcare retailer has already returned more than R350 million in savings to South African consumers, matching the full-year value historically delivered by its previous Benefit Card loyalty programme, but achieved in a fraction of the time.

The acceleration signals strong momentum and positions Better Rewards to return well over R1.5 billion in value within its first year, as customer adoption and programme penetration continue to rise.

Dis‑Chem CEO Rui Morais said the milestone demonstrates the power of a redesigned, ecosystem‑led approach to value creation at a time when affordability has become one of the most significant barriers to healthcare access.

“Affordability is a fundamental lifeline, not a competitive or commercial strategy,” Morais said. “When people delay treatment or skip medication because costs are rising faster than incomes, the healthcare system becomes inaccessible. Better Rewards was designed to change that reality by putting meaningful, predictable savings into customers’ hands every time they shop.”

Rising healthcare inflation has outpaced household income growth for more than a decade, leaving many families facing impossible trade‑offs between medical needs and other essentials. Morais said the R350 million returned to customers in just 100 days represents money that can be immediately redirected into chronic medication, preventative screenings and essential primary care, elements which are often sacrificed when budgets are under pressure. “These savings matter because they determine whether someone collects their medication, receives timely care or postpones treatment. These are daily decisions for millions of South Africans.”

The rapid scale of savings is driven by the core design principles behind Better Rewards, which was built as a customer‑centred ecosystem rather than a traditional points‑based programme. Developed through extensive research, in‑store testing and behavioural insights, the programme is structured around simplicity, relevance and always‑on value. This design enables sustainable, compounding benefits: as more customers participate and more partners join the platform, the value grows.

Members now receive ongoing savings of 10% across more than 170 trusted brands, spanning over 11,000 products, with new brands joining continually. The discounts apply even to promotional items, meaning customers receive extra savings on top of promotional pricing, one of the strongest value propositions in South African retail.

Better Rewards also integrates multiple value pathways into a single ecosystem. Customers receive an additional 5% on the basket of qualifying brands through Pharmacy Boost when filling prescriptions or purchasing from the pharmacy counter. Capitec cardholders unlock a further 5% savings on qualifying brands, while customers with eligible insurance products receive an added discount. Together, these benefits create a seamless and expanding framework of value that is both immediate and behaviour‑reinforcing, rewarding customers for actions that support better health.

“As healthcare costs continue to rise faster than inflation, the need for affordability‑driven models has never been clearer,” Morais said. “Every strategic initiative across our organisation, from loyalty mechanics to product prioritisation to the innovation investments we’re making through X, bigly lab, is anchored in a single test: does it make healthcare more affordable and more sustainable?”

Head of Customer Growth and Engagement at X, bigly labs, Thabiso Msimanga, added that the market response confirms the strength of this design: “Better Rewards is what happens when you start with real customer needs and build from there. The speed and scale of engagement show that this approach is not only resonating with consumers, but is also delivering measurable impact.”

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