Beyond Points and Discounts

Digital Innovation is Reshaping Retail Loyalty in New Zealand
‍
Traditional loyalty programs just don't cut it anymore. Kiwis expect more than accumulating points and occasional discounts—they want personalised experiences that recognise their unique relationship with brands across both digital and physical touchpoints.
‍
We've been fortunate to partner with some of New Zealand's most innovative retailers to reimagine what loyalty means in 2025.
‍
The Z Energy Journey: From "Where's the next station?" to "Where's the next Z station?"
‍
When Z Energy decided to evolve their approach to customer loyalty, they faced a fundamental question that all retailers contend with: how do you shift a customer's mindset from simply looking for the nearest store to specifically seeking out your brand?
‍
The answer lay in creating a comprehensive digital strategy that delivered genuine value at multiple touchpoints in the customer journey.
‍
Sharetank: Stored Value That Drives Site Visits
‍
Z spotted an opportunity to help Kiwis prepay for fuel at the best price in their area wherever they are. Working collaboratively, we helped Z develop Sharetank—a virtual fuel tank that customers can fill at the best price within a 30km radius and share with up to five friends or family members.
‍
Launched as a world-first in New Zealand in late 2019, this innovative solution reimagined the traditional loyalty relationship. By offering stored value that drives customers to Z stations specifically, Sharetank created a compelling reason for customers to choose Z over competitors.
‍
The results were significant: over 1 million litres of fuel top-ups in the first 6 months following launch, enabling thousands of Kiwis to save on fuel, share their savings, and better manage fuel spending regardless of where in New Zealand they live.
‍
Pre-order Coffee: Convenience That Brings Customers On-site
‍
Z recognised that fuel isn't the only reason customers visit their stations. For many Kiwis, grabbing a coffee is an essential part of their journey. By introducing pre-order functionality for Z Espress coffee through their app, Z created another compelling reason for customers to choose their stations.
‍
This convenience factor—allowing customers to order coffee while they're filling up and have it ready when they walk in—transformed what could be a mundane errand into a seamless experience. By May 2020, pre-order accounted for 22% of all coffee sales nationwide, demonstrating how digital convenience can drive physical store visits.
‍
Z App 2.0: Scalable User Experience
‍
We partnered with Z on a complete reimagining of their mobile experience with Z App 2.0. This comprehensive redesign created a scalable user experience, resulting in a 21% increase in active users and driving the app to the #1 position in the App Store.
‍
"It's been an amazing journey working with the RUSH team. They've managed to help us create a world-class, world-first product that is performing well in the market" - Dana Jacobson, Product Manager at Z Energy.
‍
Z's experience demonstrates that loyalty approaches that solve real customer problems while delivering transparent value create stronger connections than traditional points-based systems.
‍
Z Loyalty: Relevant Rewards That Enhance the Customer Experience
‍
Building on these innovations, Z developed a comprehensive loyalty approach that offers relevant rewards based on customer preferences and behaviors. Rather than relying solely on discounts, the program focuses on creating value through convenience, personalization, and exclusive offers that enhance the overall customer experience. A key element of Z Loyalty was aligning the rewards program with Z Energy's future strategy – rewarding customers for transacting with Z across their full product offering – fuel, EV charging, coffee, convenience retail, and power.
‍
This strategic approach to loyalty has helped Z shift the fundamental question in customers' minds from "Where's the next station?" to "Where's the next Z station?"—creating brand preference in a category traditionally driven by location and price.
‍
Digital Touch-Points: Farmlands' Transformation
‍

Rural retailer, Farmlands, faced unique challenges in evolving their approach to customer loyalty. Their core farming shareholders are often located far from physical stores and face significant time constraints in their daily operations. Traditionally, these customers have relied heavily on Technical Field Officers (TFOs) who provide exceptional service but are naturally constrained by working hours, availability, and the limitations inherent in human-to-human service delivery.
‍
Working with us, Farmlands embarked on a journey to understand the needs of farmers when interacting with the cooperative, identify opportunities for digital channels to assist them, and test potential solutions with shareholders to determine which would deliver
the most value.
‍
This process led to the development of FarmlandsPRO, launched at Fieldays in 2024. The platform enhances how shareholders interact with the cooperative by enabling 24/7 order management and providing the ability to manage all of their farming supplies, across accounts, in one place.
‍
FarmlandsPRO is designed to improve the traditional buying experience by digitising key purchasing touch points—from ad hoc ordering from the entire Farmlands catalogue, to planning seed, infrastructure, and feed supplies through sales agreements, and even managing the quoting flow with a direct link between shareholder and TFO. The platform also streamlines financial management through comprehensive order histories, while delivering the exclusive shareholder pricing that is central to the cooperative's value proposition.
‍
Since launch, the platform has gained strong initial traction especially among TFOs, who are able to interact directly with their shareholders’ accounts from the platform, and is now processing meaningful revenue for the cooperative from both TFOs and shareholders. For TFOs, the experience delivers significant efficiency gains, with benchmark testing showing that actions that previously took 2-4 minutes now take approximately 40 seconds to complete, allowing them to focus more time on solving on-farm problems for their shareholders, rather than processing transactions. Farmlands continues to enhance the platform independently, building on this positive momentum, and are actively positioning FarmlandsPRO as the preferred direct channel for shareholders.
‍
This approach to digital engagement demonstrates how loyalty in rural retail can be reimagined through solutions that recognise the unique circumstances and needs of agricultural customers.
‍
Data-Driven Experiences: Watercare's Digital Self-Service
‍
While not a traditional retailer, Watercare's approach to customer engagement offers valuable lessons for loyalty innovation. Working with us, Watercare developed a comprehensive digital strategy to help Aucklanders make informed choices about water usage.
‍
The resulting self-service app translates complex water usage data into meaningful information that customers can easily understand and act upon. This approach has transformed Watercare's relationship with customers from a traditional utility provider to a partner in resource management.
‍
"RUSH is a valued partner who provides much more than just expertise in user experience and platform design. Through their commitment to building a genuine digital partnership, they have invested the time to truly understand our business and the challenges we face" - Jason Pascoe, Head of Customer Experience at Watercare.
‍
Creating value through data-driven insights can build stronger customer relationships—a principle that applies directly to retail loyalty strategies.
‍
The Future of Retail Loyalty
‍
These case studies highlight a clear trend: successful retail loyalty in 2025 is less about traditional program mechanics and more about creating connected customer experiences that deliver genuine value. The most effective programs are those that:
‍
• Solve real customer problems that drive preference and visits
• Offer convenience that enhances the overall experience
• Provide relevant rewards that go beyond simple discounts
• Create seamless digital experiences that connect with physical touchpoints

If you're grappling with how to evolve your loyalty approach, get in touch, we'd love to discuss your specific challenges and opportunities or read our latest eBook on The State of Mobile Loyalty.