Food Lion links loyalty program to online grocery services

Food Lion now enables customers to use digital coupons and redeem Shop & Earn MVP rewards when ordering online for store pickup or home delivery.

The new services give Food Lion customers more ways to save through its online grocery services, the Salisbury, N.C.-based chain said Monday. Customers see their accumulated Shop & Earn rewards on the checkout screen, as well as the “clipped” digital coupons applied to their order.

When going online to place an order, Shop & Earn members are prompted by a pop-up window to load their offers. They also can check the progress of offers already loaded. Food Lion offers online grocery service through its Food Lion To Go program. Both store pickup and same-day home delivery services are powered by Instacart.

Food Lion customers ordering online for store pickup park in a designated spot and have their groceries loaded into their vehicle.

“We know our neighbors are counting on us more than ever to help them nourish their families and save even more," Deborah Sabo, senior vice president of marketing at Food Lion, said in a statement. “Whether in-store or bringing the store to our customers digitally, we’re focused on ensuring our customers have access to the freshest groceries at affordable prices, how and when they want them. By fully integrating Shop & Earn and digital coupons into Food Lion To Go, it’s now easier for our customers to save even more while nourishing their families.”

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Through the Food Lion To Go click-and-collect service, customers can shop for and buy groceries — including fresh produce, meat and seafood, as well as deli and bakery items — at shop.foodlion.com or via a dedicated mobile app and have them available for pickup at a local store in as soon as an hour. Perishables are stored in a refrigerated or frozen space, and hot food and other fresh items are packed just before shoppers’ scheduled arrival at the store. Upon arrival, shoppers park in a designated To Go space, and a Food Lion associate brings out their groceries and loads them into their car.

Food Lion noted that customers ordering online will get the same product pricing as in stores.

The retailer said that since the launch of Shop & Earn in February 2018, MVP customers have saved more than $58 million through the program on top of their usual MVP savings. In April, the chain also announced that MVP customers can donate their Shop & Earn rrewards to the Food Lion Feeds Charitable Foundation.

Part of Ahold Delhaize USA, Food Lion operates more than 1,000 stores in 10 Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic states.