Sushi Sushi bets on loyalty platform to lift traffic as price cuts lose appeal
Customers get a $1 voucher for a hand roll upon signing up.
Sushi Sushi Australia Pty Ltd. has rolled out a national loyalty programme as the quick-service restaurant sector looks for ways to drive repeat visits without resorting to blunt price discounts, which have become harder to sustain amidst rising costs.
The Koi Club programme is being launched across Sushi Sushi’s 180 stores, making it one of the first sushi chains in Australia to deploy a single, app-based loyalty system at scale.
Sushi Sushi delayed launching a national programme whilst many rivals moved earlier, opting instead to wait until it could offer something more sophisticated and scalable, CEO Stephen Anders told QSR Media.
“We took the time to understand what our customers value and how technology could genuinely enhance their experience,” he said in an emailed reply to questions.
The aim is to get customers to visit more often, especially during slower periods like snacking, he pointed out.
Koi Club departs from basic stamp cards or simple points by combining rewards, personalised offers and targeted promotions in one platform.
Customers get a $1 voucher for a hand roll upon signing up. Members earn one Koi point for every dollar spent, with 10 points translating into $1 off a purchase. The programme also includes birthday rewards and early access to promotions.
The rollout comes as loyalty programmes gain traction as an alternative to blanket discounts, which can erode margins. Annual living costs in Australia rose as much as 4.2% in the last quarter of 2025, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, leaving consumers more selective about spending and brands more cautious about price-led strategies.
Australia’s loyalty market has expanded alongside this shift, growing 17.5% annually from 2020 to 2024 and is projected to hit $2.77b by 2029, according to Research and Markets Ltd.
A YouGov Plc survey last year found that about seven of 10 Australians see loyalty programmes as an effective way to reward customers and encourage repeat visits.
The chain expects its national store network to give the programme an edge by offering a consistent experience whilst allowing incentives to be tailored using customer data.
Performance will be tracked through metrics such as sign-ups, active usage, redemption rates, and changes in spending per visit.
Anders said success would be judged by whether the programme lifts profits and provides insights to improve operations and customer engagement.
Over the next year, Sushi Sushi plans to refine offers based on customer behaviour and buying patterns, he added.
