Loyalty Ecosystem
for a Retail
Conglomerate
How we designed the strategy and future vision of a cashback program spanning all brands of one of Brazil's largest retail groups - connecting grocery, wholesale, banking, fuel stations, and pharmacy into a single engagement ecosystem.
in pilot
workstreams
units integrated
One of Brazil's largest retail groups operated with completely siloed business units - grocery, wholesale, banking, fuel stations, and pharmacy - with no unified customer view and no cross-brand engagement program.
Siloed business units - each brand had its own customer base with no integration or shared visibility
Fierce competition - market dominated by Nubank, Meliuz, and AME with more mature products and larger bases
No engagement mechanism - the group had no way to increase cross-BU purchase frequency
Unexplored opportunity - the group's ecosystem - unique in the market by breadth - was not being leveraged strategically
How do you design a cashback ecosystem that works as a gateway to financial services, connects all group brands, and is differentiated enough to compete with established fintechs?
The differentiator to be built
Only multi-brand supermarket loyalty program in Brazil
Cashback on everyday necessities - not travel or luxury goods
Real money back, not expiring points
Broad ecosystem: fuel, pharmacy, grocery, and wholesale in the same program
Different consumer profiles in the same product - from wholesale buyers to premium shoppers
In-depth competitive benchmark: Nubank, Meliuz, AME, Stix, Dotz, Livelo - identifying positioning gaps
Definition of differentiated value proposition and market entry angle
User journey design for the app - from sign-up to cashout via QR Code at POS
Strategic ecosystem architecture: 6 integrated workstreams with sponsors and squads
2024 future vision: quarterly roadmap covering Unified App, financial services, and AI-driven personalization
Executive Committee presentations with strategic KPIs, scale plan, and investment breakdown
Benchmark & Positioning
Phase 1Comparative analysis of leading cashback and loyalty players in Brazil. Identification of positioning gaps and opportunities competitors had left open. Outcome: a unique value proposition centered on ecosystem breadth and cashback on everyday necessities.
MVP & Pilot
Jun-Sep 2023User journey design for the "Comprou Voltou" MVP - launched across stores in 2 Brazilian states. Sign-up flow, cashback accrual, and redemption via QR Code at POS. Pilot with 100K customers to validate value proposition, usage behavior, and technical feasibility before national scale.
Ecosystem Architecture
Oct-Dec 2023Structuring of 6 strategic workstreams: New Brand, Cashback, Customer Acquisition, 360° Customer View, Unified App, and Financial Services. Each workstream with a director-level sponsor, dedicated squad, and clear business objectives. Three-tier governance: weekly operations, bi-weekly PDCA, monthly Growth Board for the Executive Committee.
Future Vision & 2024 Roadmap
Dec 2023-20244-quarter roadmap for national scale: AI-driven offer personalization, omnichannel customer acquisition platform, integration of physical and digital checkouts across all brands, Unified App with integrated financial services, and a single customer data foundation. Team ramp-up and investment plan presented to the Executive Committee.
Strategic deliverables
Differentiated value proposition validated with 100K customers in the pilot
Ecosystem architecture presented and approved by the Executive Committee
2024 roadmap structured with primary KPIs per initiative and investment plan
Three-tier governance framework: operations, PDCA, and Growth Board
Strategic foundation for Unified App and financial services expansion
What worked
Lean MVP before scale: validate with 100K customers before committing to national rollout
Cross-brand breadth as the differentiator - the ecosystem was the advantage, not cashback alone
Three-speed governance kept operational and strategic alignment running simultaneously
Per-workstream sponsors with clear accountability accelerated decisions in a complex org
Rigorous benchmark defined the market entry angle before any product decision
What I'd do differently
Integrate the data workstream from day one - unified customer data is a foundation, not a feature
Reduce the number of simultaneous workstreams to move faster on the highest-priority ones
Involve store and POS teams earlier in the cashout journey design
Define the cross-brand identity before the MVP launch, not after
Cashback was the entry point.
The ecosystem was the destination.
The strategy was never about building another loyalty program. It was about using cashback as a gateway to connect five brands, a unified customer base, and a financial services portfolio into an ecosystem with no equivalent in Brazilian retail.
100K customers in the pilot proved the proposition worked. The roadmap approved by the Executive Committee defined the path to national scale.
Next step
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into ecosystems that drive results?
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