DIS-CHEM BENEFIT PROGRAMME: GET POINTS AND GIVE BACK
No-one should miss out on the benefits of being healthy or compromise on the rewards they earn. Consumers should not have to settle, and that’s where loyalty programmes can play a crucial role, says Lynne Blignaut, DisChem’s head of loyalty & customer rewards. Dis-Chem’s Benefit Programme, which enables millions of customers to earn rewards at both Dis-Chem Pharmacy and Dis-Chem Baby City, adds real value to shoppers’ lives, she says.
“The most fundamental part of our Benefit Programme, which sets us apart from any other loyalty programme in South Africa, is our Dis-Chem Foundation. Every time a customer shops with us, not only does the customer earn points, but a portion of all eligible purchases is donated to the Dis-Chem Foundation as well.”
Established in 2006 in response to concerns about growing levels of poverty in South Africa, the Dis-Chem Foundation works closely with non-profit organisations to improve the lives of people in struggling communities. Its focus is on health, nutrition, education and clean water.
In partnership with Futurelife, Octodec and Nivea, the Dis-Chem Foundation provides more than 3-million nutritious meals to children in need every year. It also plants and helps maintain food gardens, and provides clean running water in rural communities which provides sustainable work and nutrition to those in need.
Dis-Chem community mobile clinics provide accessible primary health care where needed. The foundation’s annual campaigns include Million Comforts, which provides sanitary products to teenage girls to ensure they don’t miss school, and the Blanket Campaign, which provides blankets, beanies and gloves to old-age homes, children’s homes and animal shelters. Other beneficiaries include Community Medics, Operation Healing Hands and Hatzolah.
Blignaut says the foundation donated
The most fundamental part of our Benefit Programme is our Dis-Chem Foundation. Every time a customer shops with us, not only does the customer earn points, but a portion of all eligible purchases is donated to the Dis-Chem Foundation as well
LYNNE BLIGNAUT
Head of loyalty and customer rewards at Dis-Chem
more than R34m in the past financial year. Its multi-partner programme has a base reward which is enhanced by instant discounts, a free quarterly magazine, personalised offers and newsletters, double rewards days, sticker book campaigns and automatic entry into competitions.
Members earn a percentage of their spend back in benefit rewards on all qualifying transactions. These rewards are awarded on all qualifying purchases done in store or online, and are allocated in real time and available to redeem at any time.
The programme takes a comprehensive approach to its members’ daily lives and extends the value offered through affiliate partners. A member can earn points by swiping partnering bank cards at tills (Absa Rewards, Standard Bank UCount, Capitec Live Better and Sanlam Reality) for health, education and lifestyle products (SchoolDays, Discovery Vitality, Momentum Multiply, Planet Fitness and Legacy Lifestyle), and by filling up with fuel (TotalEnergies).
“Added to our affiliate partner earn we also have segmented focus groups that recognises its members’ changing needs through their life stages,” says Blignaut. “A YOUth programme, for those aged 16 to 25, offers tailored discounts and double rewards on #DoubleitupMondays. The 60Plus focus group offers double points on a Wednesday.
“Our newly launched parent and baby programme, available through the DisChem app, offers vaccination tracking, free access to an online antenatal course and a development programme, videos, booking at our in-store clinics, a free Baby Bag* filled with essentials, and so much more.”
The biggest advantage of the Benefit Programme, says Blignaut, is that customers aren’t restricted to one offer per basket. “Customers can earn multiple rewards on the same purchase. Dis-Chem’s Benefit Programme takes advantage of instant discounts on selected products, while also earning partner and base rewards. In other words, customers are not earning one reward at the expense of another reward.”
For example, if a Benefit Programme member is also a member of School-Days and pays using their Capitec card, they will be eligible for all the qualifying rewards when shopping at any Dis-Chem Pharmacy and Dis-Chem Baby City. This layered approach and ability to earn rewards from numerous affiliates simultaneously is unique to Dis-Chem, she says.
“We’ve made every effort to remove all potential barriers to make it as easy as possible for our customers to earn and redeem rewards. The programme is structured in a way that ensures customers feel valued and respected, while earning real, tangible rewards.”