Gamified shopping: Asda ditches 'points' in new loyalty programme

Asda has launched a new loyalty programme as the supermarket giant looks to boost its first party customer data.

The new scheme will go live with a multi-channel campaign titled ‘Pounds, Not Points’.

Shoppers using Asda Rewards earn pounds, not points – building up a 'Cashpot' by scanning their app when they check out, completing in-app missions (such as the ‘Back to School’ mission, where customers receive £5 into their Cashpots when they spend £25 on George school uniform), and purchasing any of more than 400 ‘Star Products’.

Asda Rewards, which has been trialled in several different regions since last October, has already seen more than 3.9m downloads of the Asda Rewards app. Since the trial of the app began,

Asda Rewards users have already built up over £19m in their ‘Cashpots’. Customers can keep track of their Cashpots as they shop and use the savings to create a voucher giving them money off their next shop.

For online customers, the Asda Rewards app will link to their Asda.com account, making it even easier to earn rewards every time they shop.

Mark Baxter, Senior Director for Loyalty at Asda, said: We’re incredibly excited to be able to give all our customers access to Asda Rewards across the UK so they can start to earn Rewards & build their Cashpot. We know that times are tough for families right now, so its great to be able to reward them for simply shopping with us”

The ‘gamified’ ad, created by agency Havas London and media firm Spark Foundry, aims to highlight that shoppers using Asda Rewards earn money when shopping instead of points. Launching in 633 stores across the UK and online, the new rewards programme allows consumers to build up a ‘Cashpot’ by scanning their app as they check out.

The accompanying spot has a ‘heavy gaming influence’ and sees an Asda store become a video game setting in which shoppers zap coins to boost their ‘Cashpots’.

Mobile ads of the same theme will also feature Asda-designed games inspired by Tetris and Word Life.

Vicki Maguire, Chief Creative Officer at Havas London, added: “Who knew being rewarded for doing your shopping was this much fun? It’s a bit bleak out there, and Asda Rewards couldn’t have come at a better time. We wanted to capture the playful dynamics, like in-app missions and the hunt for Star Buys, that help Asda customers feel like winners every time they shop – offering an antidote to all the doom and gloom. Game on.”