South Africa, Feb. 4 -- This shift was brought into sharp focus this week by Dis-Chem's announcement that its revamped 'Better Rewards' programme returned R350m to consumers in just 100 days. To put that figure into perspective, the retailer has matched the value historically delivered by its previous programme over a full year, in a fraction of the time. With a projection to return over R1.5bn within its first year, this is not merely a marketing tweak; it is a signal that the tectonic plates of retail loyalty are shifting beneath our feet.

The headline numbers, impressive as they are, obscure a more profound transformation. The real story here is not just about discounts; it is about the weaponisation of data. It is about how Artificia...