More than a discount: 10 questions about the purpose-drive evolution of Delhaize’s loyalty program – and what’s next.

Ahold Delhaize was born 10 years ago this summer, when Dutch retailer Royal Ahold N.V. merged with Belgian Delhaize Group, crossing borders to create a strong, customer-focused omnichannel retailer that today spans nine countries and 17 great local brands.  

As we celebrate this milestone, we’ve launched The 10 Series: we’re asking people across the company to share 10 insights about the business, with particular emphasis on the areas they're most passionate about. 

Customer loyalty programs are hugely important to how retailers provide customers with a more personalized shopping experience and build relationships – and they can also be a great tool to help incentivize healthier choices. We talked to Aude Mayence, SVP Marketing & E-commerce for Delhaize, about the evolution of their SuperPlus loyalty program over the years and where she sees these programs developing in the future. 

1. You’ve been with Ahold Delhaize since the merger – how has being part of the combined company strengthened Delhaize’s ability to serve local customers well? 

“It’s enabling us to align forces where it's needed, while, at the same time, keep the beauty of the local brands. Through our cross-brand group on digital platforms, for example, we exchange best practices to make our own programs even better while also keeping our local identities. And there is still the potential for much more cooperation. In the next 10 years, we want to accelerate the work we’re doing to align the back ends of our digital platforms so that when we exchange great ideas, it’s easier and faster to implement them locally.” 

2. The SuperPlus program has been around for almost six years now. What was the original vision behind the program, and how has it evolved over the years?

“Our previous loyalty program allowed customers to collect points while shopping and get a rebate at a later date – so they didn’t see the direct benefit each time they went to the checkout. As COVID accelerated digitalization in how people shop, it was a good time to reevaluate our program.  

“We wanted to offer customers direct discounts but also embed our purpose into the program and enable people to experience it. We believed that if we wanted to help customers eat better, we had to empower them with the tools to do it. And, with health, it’s important to do this in a very personalized way, because your definition of health is not the same as mine, and people come to it from different starting points. So, we began offering automatic savings on products with a NutriScore of A or B to loyalty program members to encourage them to make healthier choices.  

“With the SuperPlus app today, customers really have Delhaize in their pockets. Incorporating our purpose was a disruptor on the market. It’s become an incredibly important part of our whole ecosystem of tools – such as reformulating our own-brand products to be healthier and asking national brands to put the NutriScore on our shelf labels – to help people eat better along every step of their shopping journey.  And it’s making a difference.”  

“Since the launch of SuperPlus, we’ve seen step-by-step improvements in the choices that customers are making.”

3. Have you also seen an impact on the business, the success of the company? 

“Ten years ago, when you were speaking about health, it was perceived as niche. But now it is becoming a huge asset for retailers who want to help people eat better – and the way we can differentiate is in how we do it. The SuperPlus program has really impacted our brand perception – we are now perceived as the number one healthy retailer in Belgium. And the share of NutriScore A and B products we sell is constantly growing, partly because of healthy eating trends but also supported by our programs.”

4. You've recently introduced SuperPlus Families. What consumer needs or insights drove the introduction of that program and the focus on families? 

“We named it SuperPlus ‘families’ because there are many different kinds of families today – it’s not only parents and two kids, it could be students working together, single parents, roommates, etc. If you look at our customer profile, we are very strong with small households and older customers. Once young couples have kids, they often switch to a discount format and come back to us when the kids are grown. We wanted to provide more value for these families – while remaining open for everyone.  

“Now our loyalty program has three tiers. SuperPlus is the base, and free to join. Customers receive a 10% discount on fruits and vegetables with a NutriScore of A or B and own-brand plant-based products, along with other benefits. SuperPlus Families costs €12 per year but expands the 10% discount to all NutriScore A and B products, along with additional discounts, savings on family-friendly activities, and lower home delivery fees. There’s no risk to customers because we promise them that if they don't earn back their investment in discounts, we will reimburse them. And then we offer SuperPlus Delivery that includes all the benefits from the other two tiers and adds expanded delivery-related benefits. 

“We’ve seen that when you create a subscription model and ask a customer to pay a little and get a lot of extra value for it, they think twice about going elsewhere to shop. And when they join your loyalty program, they are in your ecosystem and you can offer a lot of personalization to keep them engaged with your brand. So, I think there is a great model there to drive loyalty.”

5. How have customers reacted so far, and is there anything that surprised you? 

“In the two months since its launch, we’ve already reached 60% of our target for the first full year in terms of attracting customers to the program. Customers have reacted very well, and the press perceives it as very innovative because we are the first retailer in Belgium with a subscription model. We’re pleased to see this promising start.   

“One thing that maybe didn’t surprise but impressed me – when we were crafting the program, not only did we ask for input from customers but also from our stores and affiliates. One store owner suggested we allow customers to pay with collected SuperPlus points to help them get over the €12 per year barrier. And he was right! Half of the program participants are paying with points. It reinforced for me the importance of listening to the people who are closest to customers – our store managers and associates.”  

6. In Belgium and Luxembourg, what specific customer trends are you seeing around healthy eating?  

“People today buy more fresh products. NutriScore is really embedded in how they shop and helps to guide them. Protein is also a strong trend. And plant-based products remain a trend, but people want less processed alternatives.  

“We’ve also made progress in legislation addressing childhood obesity and healthy eating for kids. Retailers like Delhaize have a role to play in that – for example, being mindful with promotions that you don’t influence kids to buy products that are less healthy for them.”  

7. How has the loyalty landscape evolved in Belgium in recent years? How does the SuperPlus program differentiate Delhaize in this environment? 

“It’s a very competitive market, with a strong discounter presence. While we were first to introduce a loyalty program with a purpose built into it, we see others following our lead. We have to remain obsessed with innovation to retain our leadership position. With our local brand model, we can also achieve more local differentiation than some of the big discounters. We can make the difference through our locally targeted programs with the speed and acceleration of the Ahold Delhaize group behind us.”  

8. What’s next for SuperPlus and SuperPlus Family? How do you see the program evolving over the next few years? 

“In the future, we would like to get even closer to the customer – maybe getting even more local with our app in a way that empowers our stores with some of the tools and features we’ve developed nationally. But at the same time, we have to think longer term and understand what loyalty will mean to the new generation of shoppers. We don’t even know if an app will be the future. With the emergence of AI and other technologies, we’re working to understand what the next loyalty ecosystem will be.”

9. What emerging technologies or trends excite you most in the loyalty and e‑commerce space? 

“I think that AI will play a big role in the customer experience, and we have to really understand how to combine the human aspect with AI assistance for customers. Because if competitors are also developing agentic shopping, we’ll have a battle of a whole lot of AI agents doing the same thing, and it will be difficult to differentiate. The new technology is very exciting, but it will be important for retailers to figure out how to connect with the customer in a way that differentiates you from the competition.” 

10. Can you share examples of how digital innovation has improved the customer experience at Delhaize? 

“Yes, it is helping us develop a more seamless omni-channel experience. We’ve found that 80% of visits to a store are driven by a digital touchpoint. We’re working to link our loyalty program to the entire shopping journey. So, when customers come to shop, we enable them to also earn points by charging their electric cars. Then they receive personalized offers when they enter the store. As they shop, the app lets them use self-scan to shop faster and more independently. At the end of the shopping trip, they might receive a rebate. And then when they’re at home again, they can use the app to chat about any questions they might have. In this way, the beauty of digital is that it creates really a smooth journey for the customer.” 

This article is part of a 10-part series celebrating 10 years of Ahold Delhaize. For a decade, Ahold Delhaize brands have been trusted partners in millions of customers’ daily moments, operating at the heart of local communities. We’ve built a strong foundation in those 10 years – but this is only the beginning. In this series, we look back at where we came from and forward to the future, through the eyes of the people who are making it all happen.