Health, beauty and wellness spending is booming globally, and South Africans are no exception. To help members offset some of this growing everyday cost in households’ budgets, Standard Bank’s UCount Rewards has expanded its offering. It has launched a new Health & Beauty category, introducing Clicks as a retail partner, helping its members earn Rewards Points on a growing area of consumer spending.

Transactional data from Standard Bank UCount Rewards members shows that health and beauty purchases account for around 5% of the total amount the reward programme members spend monthly.

“Health, beauty and wellness have become an increasingly important part of consumers’ budgets as people place greater emphasis on preventative health, healthy ageing and self-care,” says Fayelizabeth Foster, Head of Loyalty and Rewards at Standard Bank.

She adds that recognising both the growth of the category and the pressure many households face, the UCount Rewards team analysed members’ spending data to better understand how our consumers are prioritising these purchases and how the programme can deliver greater value in return.

Foster says that by introducing Clicks as a partner in UCount’s newly launched Health & Beauty offering, its members will get more opportunities to earn and redeem Rewards Points on spending they’re already doing, helping them stretch their rands further.

By introducing Clicks into the new Health & Beauty rewards category, UCount members can earn up to 30% back in Rewards Points and redeem their points on everyday health, beauty and wellness purchases.

The rise of health, beauty and wellness spending reflects a fundamental shift in consumer behaviour. For brands and rewards programmes alike, this trend signals a growing demand for value and relevance in a category that has evolved from discretionary spending into a core component of household budgets. It also highlights the importance of aligning loyalty rewards and retail offerings with how consumers spend their money.