From queue to QR: transforming in-store joining in just 8 weeks at Heart of England Co-op
Tripling new member sign ups and growing basket spend
We’re now at more than triple the number of new members compared to last year, with months still to go. What’s really powerful is seeing what can be achieved when business and technology teams pull in the same direction.
Jin Dhaliwal, Head of IT, Heart of England Co-operative Society
About Heart of England
The Heart of England Co-operative Society operates food stores across Coventry, Warwickshire, south Leicestershire and Northamptonshire, serving communities through a proud co-operative model. With more than 180,000 members, the Society is owned by the people it serves, with membership sitting at the heart of its commercial performance and community impact.
For a co-operative, joining is not a transactional afterthought - it is the moment someone becomes a shareholder, gains access to rewards, and begins a longer relationship with the Society. But the way people joined had not kept pace with modern retail expectations.
A vital journey moment that needed to change
Becoming a member was often inconvenient and unreliable. Customers completed paper forms in store, received plastic cards later, and were required to activate those cards at home. Around half never did.
This limited the value of membership in three ways: customers missed out on benefits, engagement was lost at the first interaction, and the Society could not fully realise the commercial value of active members.
At the same time, a major in-store marketing campaign was already scheduled. The deadline was fixed, public-facing and immovable. Any new solution had to work first time, across every store, with no disruption to live retail operations.
A focused digital transformation…in 8 weeks
Building on an existing CRM foundation already delivered by smartimpact, the Society partnered with us to transform one critical journey: in-store joining.
Rather than a broad system overhaul, the focus was speed, precision and execution. We designed a mobile-first digital journey that works entirely on the customer’s own phone.
Customers now scan a QR code in store, pay the £1 membership fee using Apple Pay or Google Pay, instantly receive a digital membership card in their mobile wallet, and begin collecting rewards on that same visit.
The solution was delivered in just eight weeks and launched across more than 40 stores with zero downtime.
Immediate, measurable impact
Membership impact: The results were immediate.
More than 750 customers joined in the first 72 hours, and to date over 15,000 new members have joined through the digital in-store journey - more than tripling the Society’s previous annual growth rate.
Activation rates increased from around 50 percent to a target of 90 percent, transforming membership from a one-off sign-up into an active, repeat relationship. Members can access benefits immediately, while store teams no longer need to manage forms, chase activations or handle manual processing.
What was once a point of friction has become a fast, modern experience that reflects the Society’s values and respects customers’ time.
Repeat commercial impact for rapid ROI
The new journey increased member recruitment well beyond the previous baseline and materially improved activation, converting more joiners into active members who deliver repeat value at every visit. With each new member paying £1 to join and active members spending around £1 more per shopping basket, the first-year revenue impact is estimated to be well into six figures, comfortably exceeding the investment required to deliver the new digital membership experience.
Winning major awards
The project success attracted a lot of outside attention, winning smartimpact Best Agency of the Year at the 2025 MEMCOM Awards. It was also Highly Commended in both Best Use of Technology and Best Transformation Project, recognising the clarity of focus, pace of delivery and tangible results achieved.
With the digital foundation now in place, the Society is already planning the next phase, extending the platform into deeper member engagement through offers, surveys, voting and other interactive services.
Metrics that count
Rapid member take up…
750 new members in the first 72 hours – over 15,000 joined in year one
Higher-quality members
Activation increased from 50% to the 90% target, turning sign-ups into active members
Clear commercial return
Six-figure first-year revenue uplift from join fees and increased basket spend
Pulling this off in just eight weeks, with zero downtime, shows what’s possible when teams work hand-in-hand. It wasn’t just about hitting a deadline, it was about getting it right first time, in front of thousands of shoppers.”
Jin Dhaliwal, Head of IT, Heart of England Co-operative Society
