Loyalty programmes are now part of everyday spending in South Africa. A new initiative puts a different spin on the concept, turning something families already spend money on into a funding opportunity for schools.
Loyalty programmes have become part of everyday life in South Africa. From supermarkets and petrol stations to coffee shops, retailers and travel brands, consumers have become accustomed to being rewarded for purchases.
The new beActive Schools Programme is applying the principles of loyalty to one of the most natural family activities: children’s play. The programme allows participating schools to benefit financially when registered families visit one of beActive Life’s indoor play and adventure venues – be.UP, Rush and Playstation by Rush.
There is no additional cost to the family. Instead, qualifying visits are linked to the child’s registered school and, at the end of each quarter, beActive calculates the school’s benefit and pays the cashback directly to the school. Depending on participation levels, schools can earn between 3% and 5% of the admission value of qualifying visits.
The model effectively creates a new form of fundraising, one that does not rely on selling products, organising events or asking parents to make an additional donation.
‘Schools are already under pressure to find sustainable and practical ways of generating additional income,’ says Carl Singleton, Director, beActive Life. ‘As parents, the management team questioned whether there was a way to take something families are already doing and create an additional benefit from it. The answer was to connect the family visit to the school, rather than asking the family to spend more.’
The idea also reflects a broader shift in the way businesses are approaching loyalty. Traditional loyalty programmes are designed primarily to encourage repeat purchasing by giving the customer a direct benefit. Increasingly, however, consumers and particularly younger families, are looking for brands to demonstrate a wider social purpose. This model introduces a third beneficiary into the traditional loyalty equation: the school.
And there is a fourth layer.
Through a partnership with the Sporting Chance Development Foundation, participation in the programme also helps create opportunities for children from under-resourced communities. For every 10 children enrolled, beActive will sponsor an outing for a child through Sporting Chance and is committing to raise funds towards the transport required to bring children to the parks.
‘Partnerships that create opportunities for children to be active, develop life skills and experience something new are incredibly valuable,’ says Natalie Pollock, Director at Sporting Chance. ‘For many children the challenge is not a lack of enthusiasm or willingness to participate but access. Transport and other practical barriers can prevent them from enjoying opportunities that many families take for granted.’
The initiative positions play as more than entertainment. The indoor parks are designed around active, supervised experiences that encourage movement, interaction and engagement. In a market where children’s leisure time increasingly competes with screens and sedentary entertainment, the company believes there is value in creating spaces where children can be physically active while having fun.
For schools, the programme offers another potential source of income without any administrative burden. Schools do not collect money, monitor visits or receive individual family data. Parents register once and their qualifying visits are automatically recognised through beActive’s systems. The school receives the resulting benefit quarterly.
There are also potential non-financial rewards, including vouchers, group discounts, class experiences and opportunities for staff team-building, with more available as participation grows.
‘The intention was never to create another complicated loyalty scheme,’ says Singleton. ‘We wanted to simplify participation. Families continue doing what they already do, schools benefit from that activity and the programme creates an opportunity to give back to children who may not otherwise get the same experiences.’
Five schools have signed up to the programme, which has now moved from its pilot phase into general rollout, with the model designed to grow as more schools and families participate.
The commercial opportunity is clear but the bigger proposition may be that loyalty does not have to stop with the customer.
In a traditional rewards programme, a consumer buys something and receives a benefit. In this model, the same transaction has the potential to create a ripple effect, supporting a school and, through the Sporting Chance partnership, helping another child access the simple but important experience of play.
beActive Life, established in 2015, operates six indoor play and adventure parks across Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban. A further three parks are in the pipeline, alongside a programme of upgrades across the existing sites.
Additional information about the beActive Schools Programme is available at www.beactivelife.com/school-program.
