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Collecting loyalty points to earn rewards can often be a slow and frustrating process. At Southeastern Grocers’ stores, for example, you have to spend $200 before earning enough points to get just one dollar off your next order.

But now Southeastern Grocers is trying to help give its shoppers a boost, with a new feature that other retailers with points-for-rewards programs might seek to emulate.

The Florida-based company, which owns the Winn-Dixie, Harveys and Fresco y Más grocery chains, has introduced “rewards Boosters,” which are personalized offers that help you earn more points for more discounts, in less time.

Shoppers who have downloaded one of the stores’ apps will see personalized offers giving them a chance to earn hundreds or even thousands of points, in what Southeastern Grocers calls “a fun game-like challenge.”

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New members will see more modest, less personalized, rewards at first, like “buy three store-brand containers of black pepper, earn 175 points.” Other examples the retailer shows in its promotional material are 1,000 points for buying four gallons of milk, or four bags of store-brand chips, within the next month. That’s enough points for $10 off your next purchase – and without that boost, you’d have to spend $2,000 to earn a reward that valuable.

Specific offers will vary between shoppers, and the challenges will vary as well – sometimes you’ll have to buy everything in one shopping trip, other times you’ll be able to spread out your purchases over multiple trips. The offers will get more personalized as the program progresses, so shoppers will be able to earn points for buying things they actually want.

“We believe in connecting with our customers on a personal level,” Anthony Hucker, President and CEO of Southeastern Grocers, said in a statement. “With the new ‘rewards Boosters’ addition to our highly rated rewards loyalty program, our customers now have the opportunity to earn more rewards toward savings on the products they buy most while experiencing a truly personalized shopping experience in our stores.”

Southeastern Grocers’ rewards program has come a long way in a short time. Just three years ago, its stores were still part of the ill-fated Plenti coalition loyalty program, in which all types of businesses banded together to let shoppers earn and spend their points with any participating member. But underwhelmed program participants began dropping out one by one, until Southeastern Grocers was one of the last members. When Plenti officially pulled the plug, Southeastern Grocers unveiled its own replacement program, which evolved into what its stores offer today.

And now the personalized rewards Boosters set its program apart from other points-based loyalty programs. Many retailers offer additional points for buying promoted products, but the offers are the same for everyone. In Southeastern Grocers’ program, you never know what the offer is going to be – or what the potential reward will be. And that, the retailer hopes, will keep shoppers engaged, and coming back.

So if Winn-Dixie, Harveys and Fresco y Más shoppers embrace the new program, watch to see if other retailers pick up on the idea. If so, then your favorite store’s rewards program could end up becoming a lot more personal – and a lot more rewarding.

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