Smart Shopper saving pockets, changing lives

At a time when every rand counts and with loyalty usage at record levels and promotions increasingly shaping shopping decisions, Pick n Pay’s returning Smart Shopper Price Palooza campaign shows how loyalty-driven promotions can translate into real financial relief.

Over the past two years, Pick n Pay’s Smart Shopper Price Palooza campaign has seen routine shopping trips aimed at maximising savings result in unexpected cash windfalls, with R100 000 given away every day during each Palooza period.

The impact of these wins has extended far beyond a once-off windfall. Winners have used their R100,000 prize money to complete retirement homes, renovate family houses, pay for childcare and education, furnish new homes and invest in income-generating assets, often at critical moments in their lives.

For one winner from Pretoria, the prize money helped complete her mother’s retirement home as she approached her pension. “I paid off the roofing materials and prepared for my baby while I was pregnant. Today, the house is 90% complete thanks to the Smart Shopper Price Palooza,” she says. Another winner from Roodepoort used the R100,000 to buy a car that now generates a steady income for her family. “The prize money changed a lot in my life, and my loved ones. We now have a good source of income.”

Smart Shopper data shows that many customers prioritise items on promotion, a trend that influenced the return of the Price Palooza campaign until 8 March 2026. “It’s about amplifying value. Customers get instant savings, double points on everyday essentials, and the chance to win R100,000 daily,” says Vincent Viviers, Retail Executive of Innovation and Digital at Pick n Pay.

The programme puts more than R7 billion in savings back into customers’ pockets each year through instant discounts at the till and points that work like cash on future shops, making it the only grocery loyalty programme in South Africa that enables customers to get the deal today and get cash back in points to spend later.

“While the big cash prize wins have huge impacts, Smart Shopper delivers value every day that helps customers. Every year we see how Smart Shopper points help customers’ money go further - whether it’s at Christmas, during January, or for back-to-school shopping,” says Viviers.

Customer engagement continues to grow as customers increasingly seek more value, particularly as they use more Smart Shopper personalised vouchers and join its lifestyle clubs (Live Well, Wine, Coffee, Baby and Pet) to unlock deeper savings and triple Smart Shopper points.

“As pressure on household budgets continues, loyalty programmes play an increasingly important role in helping customers stretch every rand. Whether it’s saving today or winning big through campaigns like the Smart Shopper Price Palooza, we’re committed to making a real difference every time customers shop,” concludes Viviers.