Retailer Bets on AI and Loyalty Integration to Accelerate Online Growth
South African retail giant Pick n Pay has launched a powerful new digital platform that combines its popular on-demand delivery service, asap!, with its Smart Shopper loyalty programme, marking what the company describes as its biggest online milestone since the launch of asap! in 2020.
The newly launched Pick n Pay asap! and Smart Shopper app brings grocery delivery, rewards, savings and value-added services together in a single platform designed to create a more seamless shopping experience for customers. The retailer spent the past 18 months rebuilding both the front-end and back-end technology behind the service, resulting in a completely re-platformed app featuring AI-powered functionality and an enhanced user experience.
AI-Powered Features Take Centre Stage
A key feature of the new platform is the integration of artificial intelligence to improve product discovery and personalise the shopping experience. According to Pick n Pay, the technology will learn from customers’ shopping habits and offer smarter recommendations while helping shoppers find products more quickly.
The app also introduces several customer-focused upgrades, including the ability to select a preferred store, save multiple payment cards, place multiple orders simultaneously and schedule deliveries outside the standard one-hour delivery window. Customers can also earn and redeem Smart Shopper points directly within the app.
Strong Online Growth Supports Digital Expansion
The launch comes as Pick n Pay’s online business continues to show strong momentum. The retailer reported that online retail sales grew by 48.7% year-on-year during its 2025 financial year, while on-demand sales increased by 60%. The company also revealed that its online division has now achieved profitability on a fully costed basis.
Currently available across approximately 600 locations nationwide, the platform offers access to more than 35,000 products and supports basket sizes of up to 45 items, signalling Pick n Pay’s ambition to compete more aggressively in South Africa’s rapidly growing online grocery market.
Part of a Broader Digital Transformation
The app launch forms part of Pick n Pay’s wider digital transformation strategy under CEO Sean Summers, with the retailer increasingly focusing on omnichannel retail, loyalty-driven engagement and technology-led customer experiences. The company has also relaunched its website to support on-demand ordering, extending the same convenience available through the app to desktop users.
