Kroger last week launched an online digital coupon center that enables customers to load coupons onto their loyalty-card accounts. The discount is then automatically deducted at checkout without a paper coupon.
Customers
need to establish a Kroger.com account to connect their Kroger Plus Card to
the coupons. At kroger.com/digitalcoupons, they can then search for manufacturer,
Kroger-brand and web-only coupons across 22 different categories as well as
by "Popularity," "Expiration," "Most
Recent" and "Value."
Up to 150 coupons can be put onto a card at one time. Coupons are generally available within a few minutes but can take up to an hour before they can be used in the store. They are subject to an expiration date, typically within six weeks of being loaded to the coupon center. More than 100 digital coupons are currently available.
Customers are also able to print a list of their coupons before heading to the store.
The supermarket giant has been offering digital coupons for more than two years, but previously, coupons were scattered around its website.
"This new digital coupon center makes it even easier for our customers to save money," Evan Anthony, Kroger VP of corporate marketing and advertising, said in a statement. "Our customers asked to make online coupons easier for them to use and we listened."
Andrea Deckard, a blogger at www.MommySnacks.net who shares her money saving tips with readers, said in Kroger's statement: "The Kroger digital coupon center is a virtual one-stop savings hub. The digital coupon site is easy to use and makes it easier to save. There are so many brands offered, but I'm also happy to see coupons available for Kroger items as well. I particularly like the ability to sort by category, too. I can quickly search 'Frozen Foods' to see if a digital coupon is available for a brand that's on sale, click to load to my Kroger Plus Card and wait for the discount at checkout."
Discussion Questions: How would you rate Kroger's digital coupon website? What other services or features do you think it could provide to be of even more value to Kroger shoppers?