Americans Prefer Smartphone App Coupons: Survey
A new survey from United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) and retail technology company Swiftly has found that 43% of Americans use digital coupons at the grocery store via a smartphone app, versus just 23% who physically cut coupons from a paper circular. Further, almost half of Americans (45%) said that they depend on deals and promotions as part of their everyday grocery shopping experience, and that 49% want more deals on things they prefer or already buy.
These findings indicate a rising demand for retail tech solutions that connect consumers to brand offerings when and where they’re ready to buy. The survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of UNFI from June 25 through June 27 among 2,092 adults ages 18 and up.
“We partner with our customers every day to help them compete in today’s retail marketplace,” noted Louis Martin, UNFI’s president of wholesale. “Our retail media network accelerates our ability to help independent grocers create more value by better connecting them to their shoppers via tailored promotions and cutting-edge digital touchpoints. The results of this survey are a meaningful validation of our strategy and reaffirm the importance of our focus to help our customers leverage retail media to more impactfully reach today’s consumers.”
[RELATED: The Future of Retail Media]
UNFI recently introduced a retail media network for independent and regional grocery retailers across the United States. UMN combines UNFI’s expansive scale and breadth of supplier offerings with Swiftly’s advanced technology platform, personalization engine, closed-loop reporting and analytics capabilities for UNFI’s network of 30,000-plus retail customer locations and about 11,000 brand partners. The goal of UMN is to enable UNFI’s retail customers to connect more meaningfully and personally with their consumers while also providing unique opportunities for UNFI suppliers to spotlight their brands and boost their brand equity.
“In partnering with UNFI, we are building one of the leading retail media networks in the U.S. that’s dedicated to ensuring the growth and success of today’s independent and regional grocer,” said Henry Kim, CEO of San Francisco-based Swiftly. “Our advanced platform is well regarded amongst key brands and retailers for its turnkey, industry-leading technology and proven success helping partners digitally transform their businesses. This data shows how vital that platform is becoming for grocers of all sizes to engage with consumers.”
Other survey findings included:
- Price is important for shoppers: Just 8% of Americans said that they don’t care about finding ways to save money at their local grocery stores, and only 12% said that price doesn’t factor into their purchasing decisions.
- Prioritize digital: Nine in 10 Americans (92%) said that they knew whether their local grocery store offers digital coupons, and almost a third (32%) said that they wished their local grocery store offered more digital coupons.
Providence, R.I.-based UNFI delivers a wide variety of products to customer locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, e-commerce retailers and foodservice customers. The largest publicly traded grocery distributor in America, the company is No. 22 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
