Lidl is to use its network of EV charging points to leverage its loyalty scheme, by having drivers pay via its Lidl Plus app.
Payments for using one of the discounter’s charging points are currently made through the Pod Point app, but will transition to Lidl Plus from this summer.
It will be the first time the payment has been integrated into the Lidl Plus app, which has gained huge popularity since its UK launch in 2020. It came fourth in an NIQ Homescan survey of over 7,000 households in April, with 7% of respondents voting it the best retailer loyalty app.
Lidl has 370 charging points in car parks across its estate of more than 960 stores, representing a £15m investment since 2017. While new planning applications require the installation of electric vehicle charging where possible, Lidl has gone further by making 300 of them rapid charge points.
The transition to paying for using them through the Lidl Plus app is due to be completed across the network by the end of the year, after which payment via Pod Point will no longer be possible.
Customers will be notified via the Pod Point app when the switchover will start and will be able to access full instructions at the charging terminals, according to Lidl.
“Since we opened our first store 30 years ago, Lidl has contributed to a shift in the way that people shop for their groceries, and this is the latest example of how we’re doing just that, so that we can further enhance our customers’ shopping experience,” said Lidl GB chief development officer Richard Taylor.
Sainsbury’s has also recently linked EV chargers with loyalty, but in a different way, by offering Nectar card loyalty points to drivers using its charging network.
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