23 Apr CBS Points Africa Interview

Interviewer: Now, did you know that when you go to shop, you could be earning some points? When you use your Momo, you could be earning some points. How cool does it get? It’s only possible with Points Africa. Points Africa is determined to make Ghanaian purchases accumulate points with a system for every purchase.

Interviewer: So, where can you shop and make these points, accumulate these points, and how does it work? How can you use them? Andrew McBurnett is the CEO of Points Africa, and he joins us in the studio to throw some more light on what Points Africa is doing. So, Points Africa, Andrew, you’re welcome. Morning.

Andrew: Morning.

Interviewer: You launched in Ghana last November?

Andrew: Yes.

Interviewer: Oh, good. How’s the reception been and what problem in particular are you trying to solve?

Andrew: The reception has been fantastic. Points Africa is really about rewarding everyday Ghanaians that shop across our rewards network and extend their purchase power. So essentially, like you just said, you can shop with some of our key partners like Star Oil, Jumia, Glyco, soon launching with Melcom. You can also go to some of our lifestyle partners as well like Starbites, Jamestown Coffee. You can actually then pay with your Momo and one of our banking partners that will soon be announced and you can then earn those points. Once you pull those points together shopping, you can then redeem those points anywhere across our network for free things like MTN data or airtime, free gas at Star Oil, free groceries at Melcom. So, that’s how it works. We extend the purchase power of everyday Ghanaians.

Interviewer: Wow. So, how does this work? Is this an app I have to download or something? Is there a voucher card?

Andrew: Yeah. So, it’s all digital. That’s the way we live in right now. So, you go onto either your Google Play Store or your Apple store, download the app, Points Africa, register for free, and then earn your points across our network for free with, again, key brands that you know every day.

Interviewer: So, I was sent on errands this weekend, for example, to get groceries at certainly one of these places. So, if I buy anything, what do I do? I go on the app to key in what I bought? How does that work?

Andrew: No, it’s really simple. So, in the app, you see offers—what we call loyalty offers. Okay? So either offers for you when you’re purchasing or offers for you when you want to redeem your points. In the app where you say, “Okay, hey there, you know, there are loyalty offers at Melcom. You may be able to get two or three points per cedi spent,” you just do as you regularly would go into Melcom, shop there, get to the point of sale, check out. All you need to do is when you register with Points Africa, you give your number. And then at point of sale, that’s all you do as well. You give your phone number, you get your points, and that’s it basically. Really simple.

Interviewer: I like it. So, does it work in volumes or in frequency? So, if I buy a whole lot today, do I get more points or it’s in how frequently I use the app and buy?

Andrew: It’s both actually. So, the more you use it, the more you buy, you get more points and then you gather all those points and then, again, use it across our network with key partners basically.

Interviewer: And I really appreciate the integration with Momo and Melcom. How does turning everyday transactions into rewards change consumer behavior if you want to influence?

Andrew: Yeah. Well, you know, like we mentioned, we’re a loyalty company. Basically, it is about changing consumer behavior, but really, again, it’s extending the purchase power of the individual Ghanaian. So, as you shop, you really get points and then you extend your purchase power. So essentially you’re able to then use those points to get free stuff again like airtime, data, etc. So it’s all about really gathering those points and then shopping across our network with key partners.

Interviewer: Are you open to more partners? Because I see that inherently you are going to achieve a lot of customer retention if your partners do this with you. The fact that consumers can get some rewards will mean that they will keep coming back to you to buy. So, are you open to more partners?

Andrew: Yeah, absolutely. I mean, we’ve got key partners in terms of key categories like grocery, gas. Grocery with Melcom, gas with Star Oil. Glyco is our insurance partner. Then we have a lot of what we call lifestyle partners as well. We also have Jumia as our online e-commerce partner. So, we’re welcome to more partners for sure because the key here is broadening the scope of our partnership and merchants so that, again, everyday Ghanaians can shop wherever they shop and earn points. And with Momo, you’re able to then use your Momo anywhere as well and get points for using your Momo.

Interviewer: Right. So, I’m online now trying to download the app and see how it works. So, good. I see Points Africa. It has the African map. It’s very colorful stuff there. So, I download it and then I can start using it from there?

Andrew: Absolutely. That’s it. Really simple. Add your phone number in, your mobile number in, and then that’s it. A password, you get an OTP, and then you go right ahead and earn your points.

Interviewer: Good. It’s still downloading. But while we’re at it, you’ve described Points Africa as economic infrastructure, not just a discount scheme. What does that mean in practical terms? And how quickly can consumers earn and redeem points for groceries, fuel, and other?

Andrew: Yeah. So, I mean, you know, as consumers really do today, and we also have different merchants in the market. They offer discounts, and really you can only get that discount from that one merchant. What Points Africa does is give points across a network of merchants. So, as you shop, you’re earning those points. You’re pulling those points in what we would call a points wallet. And then you’re able to use those points today, tomorrow, next week, in terms of extending your purchase power. So, it’s really a lot better than that one-time discount.

Interviewer: I love it, Andrew. This is great. And trust me, we love shopping. So, we’ll make the most out of this great opportunity Points Africa is offering our listeners. Thank you so much for passing by.

Andrew: Thanks for having me.

Interviewer: Fantastic. So, Andrew McBurnett, the CEO of Points Africa. So, go shopping, get more value when you do. Download the Points Africa app now on the App Store or Play Store, and you’re good to go.