S Group is Finland’s biggest national retail chain. In the core of its co-operative philosophy is the loyalty program that is based on bonus points which increase the more you buy from its stores. 

Difficult economic times had driven Finns to abandon such loyalty perks and ideas of supporting local commercial developments to help keep municipalities vital across the country. Consumers found international competitors such as the discount store Lidl, with their low prices, more relevant.

In order to secure its future (and the future that its responsibility and sustainability mandates dictate), S Group had to make its offering and differentiating factors relevant in modern, more concrete and instant-gratification-oriented times.

In March 2023, S Group launched Extra Payday – not just a communication campaign, but a fresh take on loyalty concepts in general.

Extra Payday is an extra “salary” paid on the 10th of every month to more than 2,500,000 Finns, based on their purchase volume during the prior month. On Extra Payday, cold, hard cash is deposited directly on loyalty customers’ bank accounts rather than handing out vague bonus points or other loyalty perks.

Extra Payday was launched with a 360° campaign with a heavy emphasis on in-store media and Extra Payday merchandise sold to the customers.

With consumers increasingly focused on their personal financial situation, S Group needed to find a new role. We realized that the focal point of everyone’s personal finances every month is when their salaries are paid: their payday. Large purchases are delayed until the payday, bills are timed on the payday and grocery purchases are always larger right after the payday.

S Group decided to reinvent its loyalty system and shift from bonus points to paying money directly to its loyal customers’ bank accounts on the 10th of every month, starting March 2023. Cold, hard cash that consumers could use wherever and whenever they wanted.

The reception of Extra Payday, in the midst of all the economic difficulties, was phenomenal. Getting “free money” on their bank accounts on the 10th of every month, Finns turned Extra Payday into a monthly celebration. S Group’s loyalty program became Finland’s 6th highest-ranking brand, second only to national a set of domestic design icons. More than 70 000 Extra Payday merchandise items were rocked by people, underscoring the cultural significance of Extra Payday.

The amount of money paid to loyalty customers on Extra Paydays in 2023 rose to 449,000,000 euros, helping not only the domestic industry but the entire national economy, too.

The number of loyalty customers rose to 2 577 010, meaning that by the end of 2023, more Finns got paid by S Group monthly than there were wage earners combined in the country.

In other words: Extra Payday had become Finland’s biggest payday.