Shoprite has expanded its Sixty60 delivery app to allow customers to purchase mobile airtime, data bundles and digital vouchers, adding new services to a platform previously focused on grocery shopping and delivery.
The new feature is available to Shoprite and Checkers customers and covers major South African mobile networks, including Vodacom, MTN, Telkom, Cell C and Shoprite K’nect. Users can also purchase digital vouchers for services such as Apple’s App Store and iTunes, Google Play, Uber and PlayStation Wallet Top Up.
The expansion reflects a broader retail push to make mobile applications useful for more than shopping alone. Brandspur Brand News reports that the service allows customers to buy digital products within Sixty60 without placing a grocery order or meeting a minimum spending threshold.
Under the new arrangement, purchased airtime, data and digital vouchers are delivered instantly by SMS, either to the buyer or to a recipient nominated during the transaction. The feature could make the app more useful for customers who want to top up a phone, send airtime to someone else or purchase digital credit without switching between different services.
The move builds on existing consumer demand for airtime and data purchases through digital channels. Research cited by payments technology company Electrum indicates that 95 per cent of surveyed consumers use airtime and data, while 61 per cent prefer banking applications when making such purchases.
These figures suggest that digital top-ups are already a familiar part of everyday consumer activity. By introducing the option within Sixty60, Shoprite is seeking to give customers another reason to open and use its application, including when they do not need groceries.
The addition also places Sixty60 within a wider shift towards applications that combine several everyday services in one place. Retailers and other digital service providers are competing to reduce the steps customers must take to complete routine transactions, from buying essential goods to accessing digital products.
For consumers, the ability to purchase airtime and data alongside other services could offer greater convenience, particularly when sending top-ups to family members or friends. Instant SMS delivery also means customers do not have to wait for a physical product to arrive before receiving their purchase.
The inclusion of vouchers for platforms such as Google Play, Apple’s digital services, Uber and PlayStation broadens the app’s potential uses beyond telecommunications. Customers can access digital value for entertainment, applications and transport related services through the same platform they use for grocery orders.
However, the announcement does not provide details about transaction fees, promotional offers or whether additional digital services will be introduced later.
Shoprite’s latest move signals an effort to extend the usefulness of Sixty60 beyond its original grocery delivery function. As retailers compete for consumer attention through digital platforms, bringing routine purchases into a single application offers another way to encourage repeat use and strengthen customer engagement.
