Adapt or Be Replaced
What Pick n Pay, Checkers and Amazon Teach Us About Marketing
Adapt or Be Replaced: What Pick n Pay, Checkers and Amazon Teach Us About Marketing
A few years ago, Pick n Pay ruled my grocery world.
If you shopped for groceries in South Africa in the early 2010s, you probably remember when Pick n Pay launched Smart Shopper in March 2011. It changed the game. You had to buy groceries anyway, so why not earn something back? Cashback that you could actually use.
It was smart. It was strategic. It worked.
Then things shifted.
When Loyalty Was Enough
For years, Smart Shopper felt like value. It created habit. It created loyalty. It made sense.
Fast forward to October 2019. Checkers launches Xtra Savings. A different approach. Instead of points building up over time, you get instant savings on selected products in store.
A few weeks later in November 2019, Checkers launches Sixty60.
And that is where everything changed.
At first, I still preferred Pick n Pay. Loyalty mattered to me. The cashback felt tangible.
But somewhere after COVID, I realised my preference had shifted.
Not because of points.
Because of experience.
Store Experience Matters More Than We Admit
There was a time when Checkers stores felt cheap and slightly neglected. That was the perception.
But over the years, something changed. The stores became cleaner. Better lit. More modern. The brand felt elevated.
It did not happen overnight. It was subtle.
And that subtle shift matters.
Because marketing is not just campaigns. It is environment. It is consistency. It is how a brand feels when you walk through the doors.
Convenience Is the Real Disruptor
Then there is Sixty60.
Convenience. That is the emotion it created for me.
They promised delivery within a specific time frame and they delivered within that time frame. Every time I ordered, it arrived when they said it would.
That builds trust.
Even now, where I live, delivery is limited. But when I am in an area where Sixty60 delivers, I use it. Not because of loyalty points. Not because of price.
Because it works.
Pick n Pay rebranded Bottles to Pick n Pay ASAP! in August 2021 after pivoting to grocery delivery during COVID. On paper, they adapted too.
But in the last month alone, I ordered twice from ASAP!, and both times the delivery was more than an hour later than promised at checkout.
One late delivery can be an exception.
Two starts becoming a pattern.
And patterns change consumer behaviour.
The Same Lesson Applies Everywhere
Look at eCommerce.
Amazon entered South Africa and delivers the next day. Takealot still takes a few days depending on the product. Loot quoted me three to four weeks for a simple baby shower item. Three to four weeks in a world where people expect next day delivery.
Yes, Loot refunded me within 24 hours when I cancelled. That was impressive.
But in an economy where instant access is becoming the norm, speed is not a luxury. It is the product.
I cannot be the only one who chooses where to shop based purely on delivery timelines when the products are identical.
And that is the point.
Marketing Strategies Expire
Smart Shopper was revolutionary in 2011.
But strategies from a decade ago will not keep customers forever.
You cannot assume that because something worked once, it will work indefinitely.
Markets evolve. Expectations change. Technology shifts behaviour.
And the brands that win are the ones that adapt before they are forced to.
Checkers did not just launch a rewards card. They improved store experience. They embraced on-demand delivery early. They executed consistently.
They evolved.
And that evolution shifted my loyalty.
Not dramatically. Not emotionally.
Subtly.
But permanently.
Adapt or Become Background Noise
If Checkers suddenly started missing delivery windows regularly, I would reassess. One exception does not change behaviour. But consistent failure does.
That is how customers think.
We do not switch after one mistake.
We switch after patterns change.
Marketing is not a once-off campaign. It is ongoing adaptation.
It is watching behaviour.
It is adjusting to new expectations.
It is understanding that convenience today may outweigh loyalty tomorrow.
If your strategy is still built on what worked ten years ago, your competitors are already catching up.
Or overtaking you.
So What Does This Mean for Your Brand?
The real question is not whether your current strategy works.
The question is how long it will keep working.
At Lollie’s Handmade, we believe marketing is not static. It evolves with behaviour, technology and expectation. If your brand needs to adapt, reposition or rethink how it shows up in a fast-moving market, we would love to help.
Because staying relevant is not accidental. It is strategic.