Image Courtesy of Stop & Shop
Citing a goal to “bridge the digital divide,” Stop & Shop is rolling out Savings Station kiosks inside stores to enable shoppers to secure digital coupons without a smartphone or computer.
The kiosks arrive amid complaints that shifts to emphasize digital coupons over traditional paper ones from newspaper inserts limit access to savings to technologically challenged older and lower-income Americans.
To use, Stop & Shop customers scan their GO Rewards loyalty card or enter their phone number into the kiosk to load their digital coupons and activate personal offers based on their shopping history. Customers are able to receive a printout of their digital coupons if they want to reference it while they shop.
As with digital coupons loaded onto shopper accounts via smartphone or computer, savings are automatically applied at checkout when shoppers scan their card or enter their phone number.
“This rollout marks another change we’re making to remove friction and improve the shopping experience for our customers,” said Roger Wheeler, president of Stop & Shop, in a statement. “We heard from customers who felt they were missing out on valuable digital coupon savings, and the Savings Station is our response to that feedback. It ensures that our customers can easily access all of our great deals, especially during the holiday season when savings are top of mind.”
The kiosks will also feature additional content for shoppers, including recipes and and “fun print out activities for keeping kids entertained while shopping.”
Edgar Dworsky, founder of ConsumerWorld.org who has long called out the challenges those without internet access or smartphones face securing digital coupons, said in the statement, “We salute Stop & Shop for making digital coupons more accessible to everyone.”
Legislators in New Jersey, New York, Illinois, and Rhode Island are proposing laws requiring stores offering digital coupons to also make an “in-store alternative of identical value” available. Legislation proposed in Massachusetts and Washington state would automatically apply digital coupons to all shoppers.
According to Inmar Intelligence, digital load-to-card (L2C) coupon redemptions at U.S. grocery stores exceeded those of traditional paper free-standing inserts (FSIs) for the first time in 2020, a shift accelerated by the pandemic.
In phasing out print inserts in newspapers and weekly mailers in 2023, Kroger said the move reflected declining newspaper circulation. Kroger’s print version of the flier is still available inside stores, and digital deals can be accessed at each store’s customer service desk.
Grocers save money by phasing out paper coupons, but digital coupons also provide rich insights into shoppers’ spending habits to optimize personalized offers. Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s CEO, said on the grocer’s third-quarter analyst call, “Digital offers are an important way we deliver savings to customers, and engagement continues to grow with 5% more digital offer clips so far this year, and that has led to 14% more savings for Kroger customers.”