T. Ozbun
Research expert covering food retail and all food topics for Italy and Brazil
Supermarket loyalty programs - statistics & facts
In light of the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, consumers are increasingly focused on saving money while shopping for groceries. Loyalty cards and programs that offer direct discounts or other attractive deals could be the answer they are looking for. Participation in loyalty programs is highest in grocery stores and supermarkets compared to any other category, indicating that access to discounts and special offers in food retail is essential for consumers' daily shopping needs. Despite the global popularity of these programs, some regions showed higher usage rates than others. This trend is also evident across different generations, with older consumers more likely to utilize grocery loyalty programs to save money compared to their younger counterparts.
While grocery loyalty programs, along with offers, discounts, and promotions, are important factors for U.S. consumers when choosing a grocery store, they are not the primary drivers of their decisions. U.S. consumers have been visiting a higher number of grocery retail locations than previously, indicating that most prefer not to stay loyal to a single store.
In countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the majority of consumers expressed interest in customized grocery promotional offers, indicating a potential trend for further development in this area.
In South Africa, however, consumers seemed to prefer general rewards over personalized offers, suggesting that these trends should complement each other rather than completely replace one another.
Overall, across the globe, a common trend is the use of multiple loyalty cards or programs to maximize the offers and discounts available from different retailers. This should be noted by retailers if they intend to try to stand out from the crowd and retain customers.
Europe and the Americas
In countries like France, 94 percent of consumers were enrolled in a supermarket or hypermarket loyalty program, significantly higher than in any other sector. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, 82 percent of consumers participated in a supermarket loyalty program. In Brazil, supermarkets were also the leading sector in the share of consumers with loyalty cards, although the rate was lower compared to European countries.While grocery loyalty programs, along with offers, discounts, and promotions, are important factors for U.S. consumers when choosing a grocery store, they are not the primary drivers of their decisions. U.S. consumers have been visiting a higher number of grocery retail locations than previously, indicating that most prefer not to stay loyal to a single store.
Rest of the world
Transforming grocery loyalty programs through gamification is gaining popularity among food retailers as a way to engage and incentivize consumers. Customers can participate in fun and interactive games to win appealing prizes like discounts and special offers. This is reflected in the high participation rates among consumers in the Asia-Pacific region, particularly in Southeast Asia.In countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, the majority of consumers expressed interest in customized grocery promotional offers, indicating a potential trend for further development in this area.
In South Africa, however, consumers seemed to prefer general rewards over personalized offers, suggesting that these trends should complement each other rather than completely replace one another.
Overall, across the globe, a common trend is the use of multiple loyalty cards or programs to maximize the offers and discounts available from different retailers. This should be noted by retailers if they intend to try to stand out from the crowd and retain customers.
