Shoppers prefer digital coupons over paper

Nearly twice as many Americans use digital coupons via a smartphone app rather than paper coupons from a circular when shopping for groceries, according to a survey from United Natural Foods Inc. and Swiftly.

The survey found that 43% of American consumers said they use digital coupons at their local grocery store, vs. 23% who said they physically cut coupons from an ad circular. The survey also found that 45% of consumers said they rely on deals and promotions as part of their everyday shopping experience, and 49% said they would like more deals on things they want or already buy. Nearly a third of respondents (32%) said they wish their local grocery store offered more digital coupons.

Meanwhile, 8% of survey respondents said they don’t care about finding ways to save money when shopping at a grocery store, and 12% said price does not factor into their purchasing decisions.

The survey was conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of UNFI from June 25-27 among 2,092 adults aged 18 and older.

UNFI released the survey results in the wake of the May launch of its UNFI Media Network, or UMN, powered by technology provider Swiftly. UMN offers retail media network solutions for UNFI’s independent retail customers and their product suppliers, including personalization, reporting, and analytics.

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A recent report from Capital One Shopping also found that consumers are increasingly using digital grocery coupons. That report cited research indicating that 76% of shoppers use digital grocery coupons, and 75% use coupons to decide what items to place on their shopping lists.

The Capital One report also found that 61% of consumers and 80% of shoppers aged 25-40 use a grocery or superstore savings app. Email was the preferred channel for receiving grocery coupons, according to the report, with 45% of consumers citing that delivery method. Mobile apps were the second most popular delivery method, at 39.6% (multiple responses were allowed), followed by printed ads (33.2%), text messages (23%), and social media (11.2%).

Grocery retailers have been slowly weaning their shoppers off of printed circulars and efforts that received a significant boost during the COVID-19 pandemic. A 2021 report from digital solutions provider Inmar found that 2020 marked the first year that digital coupon redemption surpassed physical coupon use.

Some grocers, however, have received pushback from consumers, particularly older shoppers who may not be comfortable with smartphones. As a result, some retailers have reinstated mailed print circulars after previously eliminating them, or have continued to make them available in stores.

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