Trade · Proposal
PepsiCo Trade Connect: an operating system for informal trade.
A proposed platform that connects PepsiCo directly with South Africa's hawkers, spaza shops and independent convenience stores: ordering, Trade Tokens, rewards and first-party retail data on any phone, with no app required, starting with a 500-retailer pilot.
- USSD
- Mobile web
- Trade Tokens and rewards
- Trade reputation score
- Field force management
- Pilot retailers
- 500
- Pilot provinces
- 3
- Pilot run
- 90 days
- National goal
- 20,000+
A proposal by Hello Brand for PepsiCo. The screens are design mock-ups and the people shown are illustrations; no results yet.
Chapter 1 of 7
The brief
Informal trade is one of South Africa's largest retail channels. PepsiCo wanted a direct, measurable relationship with the retailers in it, not one that stops at the wholesaler.
Today's model runs from PepsiCo to distributor, to wholesaler, to the informal-trade retailer, and beyond the wholesaler is a blind spot. PepsiCo cannot reliably identify retailers, communicate with them, incentivise them, track stock, measure compliance or forecast demand. The impact: lost sales opportunities, weak retailer engagement, limited trade intelligence and compliance risk.
Trade Connect closes that gap without disrupting the route to market: it works alongside distributors and wholesalers rather than replacing them, and adds retailer visibility, engagement and first-party data on top of the model that already delivers.
The platform is for hawkers, spaza shop owners and independent convenience retailers: scattered, hard to identify and reached only indirectly today. Behind them, it serves PepsiCo's commercial and field teams, who gain one view of the channel.
Insight
The goal is accessibility, not sophistication.
- Proposed
- August 2026
- For
- Hawkers, spaza shops, independent stores
- Access
- USSD, WhatsApp, mobile web
- App needed
- None
- Pilot
- 500 retailers in Gauteng, KZN and the Western Cape
- Ready to launch
- 12 weeks from scope approval to the pilot launch
The idea
Connect. Order. Earn. Redeem. Grow.
A lightweight mobile platform gives PepsiCo a structured, data-driven channel into informal retail. Every interaction adds to a single retailer record, so the relationship and the data belong to PepsiCo: digital and inclusive, data-driven, growing together, with trust and compliance built in.
- Register, and order stock from any phone
- Earn and redeem Trade Tokens and rewards
- Build a trade reputation score, and access credit
- Receive launches, promotions and stock alerts
- Give PepsiCo visibility, compliance and demand forecasting
Chapter 2 of 7
Any phone, no app
Built for real life and every retailer: simple, accessible and inclusive. A retailer can use the platform from a feature phone with no data, from a chat, or from a browser.
- USSD
- Works on any mobile phone; no data needed
- Chat to the service quickly and easily
- Mobile web
- A data-light portal in any browser
- Reverse billing
- Optional: zero-rated access, always on
The retailer, and the phone in their hand
Illustrations and design mock-ups from the proposal: the retailers it is built for, and the screens they would use.
The proposal in pictures
How retailers are found
Recruitment runs through the people retailers already deal with. Eligible retailers may receive an approved onboarding incentive once they are verified.
- PepsiCo representatives and field teams
- Wholesalers, and cash-and-carry locations
- Field promoters and existing retail networks
- Taxi rank activations
- A referral programme between retailers
Chapter 3 of 7
The retailer's journey, start to finish
From the first registration to a reward redeemed: eight steps, on the phone the retailer already has. The screens are design mock-ups from the proposal.
Eight steps
-
RegisterName, mobile number, store type, location and age verification, on WhatsApp, USSD or mobile web.
-
Verify the outletGPS, a photo of the shop and validation by a representative.
-
Get a retailer IDThe outlet becomes active, with a welcome pack, training, an ordering guide and welcome tokens.
-
Order stockPre-order on USSD or mobile web, then collect: stock is reserved before the retailer travels to fetch it.
- Scan the till slipBuy any PepsiCo brand from any outlet, scan the till slip, and points land in the wallet once the receipt is verified.
-
Collect Trade TokensOrdering, stock availability, price and promotion compliance, product knowledge, surveys and platform use all earn tokens.
-
RedeemSpend tokens on stock, airtime or data, or choose a reward and redeem it instantly at partners across South Africa.
-
Hear about launches and promotionsProduct launches, promotions, stock alerts, learning content and surveys arrive straight on the phone.
Chapter 4 of 7
Trade Tokens: behaviour drives value
One purchase, endless rewards. Every verified PepsiCo purchase builds retailer value, and each kind of retailer climbs its own Bronze, Silver and Gold tiers against targets that fit the size of the business.
Monthly spend targets, per retailer type
-
Individual sellers
Hawkers
Bronze R500+, Silver R1,500+, Gold R3,000+ a month.
-
Small businesses
Spaza shops
Bronze R5,000+, Silver R10,000+, Gold R20,000+ a month.
-
Established stores
Independents
Bronze R20,000+, Silver R40,000+, Gold R80,000+ a month.
What tokens buy
- Stock purchases, and part-payment for future orders
- Airtime and data
- Merchant services and approved trade benefits
- Rewards that matter: groceries, fuel, meals out, health and wellness, fashion and home
Redemption is instant, through a national partner network, and every reward keeps the retailer inside responsible-trade rules.
A trade reputation score
Every retailer gets a score from 0 to 1,000, built on ordering frequency, compliance, stock availability, platform activity and payment behaviour. The score becomes the retailer's informal trade credit profile: strong scores open token-backed trade credit, funded through PepsiCo, financial partners and fintech lenders, for one of the biggest barriers to growth, working capital.
- Bronze
- Entry level: building a strong foundation
- Silver
- Growth retailer: growing with consistency
- Gold
- High-value retailer: trusted and reliable
Chapter 5 of 7
How it works, end to end
Behind the retailer's phone, one connected platform runs the whole trade relationship, from recruitment to the commercial team's dashboard.
Recruit, register, verify
Field teams, wholesalers, cash-and-carry partners, taxi rank activations and referrals bring retailers in. Registration creates a PepsiCo user ID tied to a preferred wholesaler; verification is automated (GPS, photo, mobile) or manual (a PepsiCo representative or wholesaler confirmation), and ends with a verified retailer.
Welcome and training
A welcome pack, platform training, product information, an ordering guide and a platform-funded onboarding reward in tokens, so the first order comes quickly.
Ordering, routing and collection
The retailer orders on WhatsApp, USSD or mobile web. The platform routes each order automatically to the nearest PepsiCo distributor, wholesaler or supplier, who packs it, delivers or holds it, and confirms. With smart collection, the retailer gets a collection confirmation, location and reference number before travelling: less friction, fewer wasted trips, fewer stock-outs.
Retailer clusters
Where enough retailers trade close together, Trade Connect can combine individual orders into one, for example six hawkers sharing a bulk collection point and transport. That brings larger baskets, better stock planning, lower transport costs and more frequent orders. Delivery becomes an optimisation outcome of scale, not a requirement for launch.
The incentive engine and wallet
Tokens for registration, the first order, monthly orders, stock availability, surveys, product education, promotions and referring new retailers. The wallet shows the balance and lets the retailer redeem, save or put tokens towards an order at checkout, with the till slip scan as proof of purchase.
A direct line to the retailer
WhatsApp, SMS, USSD and mobile-web notifications for product launches, promotions, stock alerts, educational content and surveys: PepsiCo can talk to the retailer directly, for the first time.
The field force and compliance
Territories, retailer visits and representative activity; product knowledge, assessments and responsible-retailing content; administration, permissions and audit trails.
The informal trade command centre
Every interaction creates intelligence: a retailer database, outlet locations, demand forecasting, stock-out and compliance reporting, promotion effectiveness and geographic sales patterns. The commercial team sees the retailer base (registered, active, dormant), brand performance, hotspots and white spaces, order volumes and delivery success, in dashboards with scheduled exports.
Built on a platform that already runs16 parts
Trade Connect is not a standalone build. Of its sixteen capabilities, seven already exist and are only set up for PepsiCo, five are extended for informal trade, and four are new. That keeps risk low and puts the investment into what is genuinely new.
- Set up as is: retailer profiles and CRM, the product catalogue, loyalty and rewards, payments, campaigns, reporting and administration.
- Extended for the trade: retailer and outlet verification (GPS, storefront photo, representative check), trade rules, the incentive engine and trade reputation score, field-force support and the retail data model.
- Built new: WhatsApp Commerce, the USSD channel, mobile-web ordering, and a documented API layer ready for future ERP and distributor links.
Trust, data and compliance99.9%
- Business to business only: access is for verified retailers. An unverified account cannot transact, and there is no consumer content, registration or consumer data.
- Data stays in South Africa: hosted in a South African cloud region, encrypted in transit and at rest, with a full audit trail.
- POPIA and GDPR aligned: retailers give consent at onboarding; PepsiCo owns its data and brand assets.
- Always available: a 99.9% availability service level, measured monthly, with an independent penetration test before go-live.
Chapter 6 of 7
What we proposed
A phase-one commercial pilot with 500 retailers (spaza shops, hawkers and independent convenience stores) in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape, to prove the model before it scales.
- Validate onboarding and verification
- Validate ordering and fulfilment
- Test engagement, token participation and redemptions
- Set retailer behaviour benchmarks
- Measure operational and commercial viability
- Define what scale needs
From scope approval to pilot: 12 weeks
DefineWeeks 1-2
Confirm the retailer journey, the products and catalogue, the trade and incentive rules, the participating partners and the reporting. Signed off at the end of week 2.
Configure and buildWeeks 2-9
Set up PepsiCo's profiles, catalogue, incentive engine and dashboards, and build the WhatsApp, USSD, mobile web and ordering journeys in the PepsiCo Trade Connect identity. A working, populated platform is shown from week 5.
Test and prepareWeeks 9-11
Functional, integration and user acceptance testing across every channel, field and representative training, and the pilot cohort made ready.
LaunchWeeks 11-12
A controlled launch with 50 retailers, early fixes, then the full 500-retailer cohort and the start of the measurement period.
Run and evaluate90 days
Measure registration and activation, validate ordering and collection, test token participation and redemptions, set the first data benchmarks and refine the platform. The pilot review ends with a recommendation for regional expansion.
One fixed scope in six workstreams:
- Strategy, discovery and foundation
- Configuration, customisation and new development
- Branding and screens in PepsiCo's identity
- Testing and quality assurance
- Programme and stakeholder management
- Pilot planning, deployment and launch
The pilot's targets
Success measures and targets as set out in the proposal. They are targets, not results.
- Retailers registered
- Target: 500
- Active monthly retailers
- Target: 70%
- Orders through the platform
- Target: 30%+
- Compliance participation
- Target: 60%+
- Retailer satisfaction
- Target: 80%+
- Data coverage
- Target: 80% of pilot locations
One programme, one team
PepsiCo South Africa
Business owner: sponsorship, product and pricing rules, approvals and the pilot cohort.
Programme team
Strategy, solution design, token mechanics, partners and stakeholder management.
Development partner
Platform configuration, USSD and WhatsApp, hosting, security and support.
Field and distribution
Retailer recruitment, outlet verification, distributor coordination and on-the-ground onboarding.
PepsiCo Trade Connect dashboard
What the pilot will report
90 days · sample
- Sample
486
Retailers registered
- Sample
72%
Active monthly retailers
- Sample
33%
Orders through the platform
- Sample
64%
Compliance participation
- Sample
84%
Retailer satisfaction
- Sample
83%
Data coverage of pilot locations
Onboarding
- From the proposal
500
Pilot cohort
Retailers the pilot planned to onboard in Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal and the Western Cape
- Sample
486
Retailers registered
Verified retailers on WhatsApp, USSD or mobile web (target: 500)
- Sample
83%
Data coverage of pilot locations
Pilot locations with GPS, a shop photo and a verified retailer record (target: 80%)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| W1 | 41 |
| W2 | 63 |
| W3 | 118 |
| W4 | 187 |
| W5 | 254 |
| W6 | 309 |
| W7 | 352 |
| W8 | 391 |
| W9 | 422 |
| W10 | 448 |
| W11 | 466 |
| W12 | 479 |
| W13 | 486 |
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Gauteng | 214 |
| KwaZulu-Natal | 152 |
| Western Cape | 120 |
- Spaza shops 48%
- Hawkers 37%
- Independents 15%
Ordering and activity
- Sample
72%
Active monthly retailers
Registered retailers who ordered or earned tokens in the last 30 days (target: 70%)
- Sample
33%
Orders through the platform
Share of pilot retailers' PepsiCo stock ordered on the platform (target: 30%+)
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Month 1 | 612 |
| Month 2 | 1,084 |
| Month 3 | 1,347 |
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| 1,436 | |
| USSD | 1,028 |
| Mobile web | 579 |
of registered retailers active in the last 30 days
Compliance and satisfaction
- Sample
64%
Compliance participation
Retailers who completed stock, price and promotion compliance checks (target: 60%+)
- Sample
84%
Retailer satisfaction
Retailers who rated the platform 4 or 5 out of 5 in the pilot survey (target: 80%+)
- 5 47%
- 4 37%
- 3 11%
- 1 or 2 5%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Stock and part-payment | 1,212 |
| Airtime and data | 864 |
| Groceries and fuel | 431 |
| Other rewards | 186 |
of registered retailers took part in compliance checks
Rand values excl. VAT. Figures tagged Sample are for illustration only: not results from this or any campaign.
Chapter 7 of 7
From pilot to national impact
Scaling impact, empowering retailers, transforming informal trade: four phases from the first 500 retailers to a connected national network.
500 retailers90 days
Launch the pilot in key regions, onboard and activate retailers, prove value and collect insights.
5,000 retailers12 months
Expand to more regions, scale engagement and orders, strengthen data and processes.
20,000+ retailersNational
Roll out across the country, deepen compliance and trust, drive adoption and retention.
Credit and marketplace
A national informal trade network with credit and financial solutions and a full marketplace.
The platform
Trade Connect is a Hello Brand platform. See how Trade Connect works.
Talk to us
Want a direct line to your trade? Start a project.
Rewarding every purchase. Growing the whole channel.
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