It is no secret that a very large portion of our country’s economically active consumer base is facing even harsher and more overwhelming financial pressures than ever before. As such, 2Engage anticipates an increase in sign-ups to rewards programmes that deliver tangible and instant benefits for consumers.
As people try to stretch their hard-earned income as far as possible, with rewards and discounts or cash-back for loyalty becoming an ever more significant motivating factor to purchase certain products and engage in certain behaviour, 2Engage expects to see an increase in the redemption of rewards by loyalty programme members as they “cash-in” on their loyalty to certain brands and demand fulfillment of their rewards.
In a world that has rapidly adapted to being online-friendly for customers in the mid-upper ends of the consumer market, face-to-face interaction for brands who wish to engage consumers in the independent mass market will remain incredibly important this year.
In a recent survey conducted within the independent mass market by Retail Engage and bonsella, subsidiary companies of 2Engage, 85.73% of respondents said that they contacted the loyalty brand via an “in-store agent”. Whatsapp, telephone, Facebook and email communication channels all showed single-digit results for the same question.
The modern South African consumer is more conscious than ever of factors such as price and convenience. In the survey mentioned above, 42.5% of respondents said that “store prices” are the reason why they shop at a specific store, with 30.14% of respondents saying that rewards benefits were their primary motivator. 2Engage predicts that this will continue and says that the gap between these reasons and others, like location, is most likely to widen as the year progresses.
