This article was originally published in the Brand Finance South Africa 100 2024 report
Clicks, South Africa's 30th most valuable and seventh strongest brand, prioritises value, convenience, and sustainability. Boasting over 11 million ClubCard members, Clicks leverages digital innovations to deliver personalised experiences and foster brand loyalty. Dive deeper into the brand's future innovations and expansion plans in an interview with Clicks' Head of Marketing, Dr. Mel van Rooy.
Interview with Dr. Mel van Rooy
Head of Marketing,
Clicks Group
What are Clicks’ biggest advantages in ensuring brand success?
The Clicks ‘Feel Good, Pay Less’ tagline has not changed in over 50 years. It is just as relevant today as it was when Jack Goldin opened the first Clicks store in Cape Town in 1968. As a value-led retailer, Clicks has stuck to its strategy of offering great value, convenience, and differentiation to customers.
Our iconic Clicks ClubCard loyalty programme has a current membership of over 11 million active members. In the past 12 months alone, ClubCard has put more than R713 million cashback into the pockets of consumers. Based on our intimate understanding of the needs of our customers, we are committed to offering true value through ClubCard as well as innovative affinity partners.
How does the Clicks brand build trust among its stakeholders?
Everything we do is centred around delivering value, convenience, and a truly personalised customer experience, to make Clicks Southern Africa’s first choice for pharmacy, health, wellness, and beauty. This means knowing who our customers are, understanding their evolving needs, and using data analytics and insights to engage with customers across the omnichannel to continually make a meaningful difference.
How has Clicks adapted to emerging trends and technologies, and how has this influenced the retailer’s brand positioning in the market?
We are continuously using digital innovation to enhance the customer’s shopping experience and meet the needs of our ever-growing customer base. Our world class analytics capability allows us to deliver a highly personalised offering to our customers. We use the data that our customers trust us with through ClubCard to tailor-make everything from promotions to the way we communicate offers in-store, online and on our new improved Clicks app.
Our Clicks app gives shoppers access to everything they would find in store and more – all from their smartphone. Shoppers can track their order in real time, use the Find in Store feature to check stock at their local Clicks store, check ClubCard points and cashback balance, submit scripts, make clinic bookings or chat to a pharmacist.
Another exciting development is the recent opening of our first in-house ecommerce fulfilment facility – a state of the art omnichannel warehouse spanning an impressive 2 232m2, with the capacity to deliver up to 1.4 million parcels per annum to customers. This represents a huge leap forward in enhancing service delivery and efficiency.
Social responsibility and sustainable practices are increasingly important to stakeholders. How has Clicks integrated sustainability initiatives into its brand strategy?
Our goal is to seek out every opportunity to uplift and transform lives. Our brand purpose is to help residents of Southern Africa build a healthier future – this is the ethos that underpins all Clicks’ initiatives and the foundation of our sustainability focus areas of building a healthier life, planet, economy, and community. As part of building a healthier economy, for example, we believe that supporting black, female-owned businesses is key to growing the economy and building a healthier future. The Clicks Group has been on a journey to procure more than R3.5 billion from black-owned SMMEs and female-owned suppliers. We exceeded this target in the past financial year, with spend increasing 7.3% to over R4.5 billion.
What future plans and strategies does Clicks have in place to further strengthen its brand and continue the growth of its brand value?
We are committed to expanding our store footprint and have increased our long-term store opening target from 900 to 1,200 stores in Southern Africa, with 40 to 50 stores and 40 to 50 pharmacies planned to open each year.
We are continuously adapting to the changing needs of our customers to create a range of well-designed products and services. For example, our stand-alone Clicks Baby stores offer wider aisles for prams and strollers, changing rooms for trying on maternity wear, and expert advice from in-store advisors. Our bespoke beauty store-in-store formats have been especially designed to elevate the customer experience and stock an even larger beauty offering, as well as an extensive range of sustainable health and beauty products.
Going forward, we have lots of exciting innovations in the pipeline, with even more exclusive and private label offerings and technological advances planned that will add value to our customers’ lives.
