Retailers are scaling back their use of generic vouchering sites as priorities further shift towards promotions that reward loyalty or are more targeted.
Figures shared by discounting website VoucherCodes show a 37% drop in grocery offers published on the site in the first half of the year.
A VoucherCodes spokeswoman said retailers were shifting tactics: “Rather than pushing out wide-reaching, publicly available discounts, many are likely now focusing on more personalised, targeted promotions sent directly and exclusively to a select group of customers.
“The decline in generic, openly available, non-exclusive offers on the site reflects this pivot towards more direct and segmented activity,” she said.
In contrast to the decline of exclusive vouchers that anyone on its site can use, the spokeswoman said VoucherCodes was doing more to promote supermarkets’ own loyalty schemes. Recent vouchers included giving £3 or £5 back to customers who sign up to Co-op’s membership programme for £1, and savings at Tesco to mark Clubcard’s 30th anniversary.
“We’re also seeing increased interest in ‘rewards’ promotions in general, where retailers offer gift cards or other incentives to encourage repeat purchases. These are proving particularly effective in encouraging customers to return and shop again while enabling retailers to avoid discounting,” the spokeswoman added.
“Historically, discounting has been seen primarily as a tool for winning new customers, but we’re now seeing it become a core part of retention strategies as well. This shift is largely a response to evolving customer expectations – people increasingly want to be recognised and rewarded for their loyalty, and supermarkets are adapting their promotional tactics accordingly.”
As many as 97% of UK shoppers hold at least one supermarket loyalty card and have an average of three. Research by the CMA in November found 77% of shoppers have a Tesco Clubcard and 57% a Sainsbury’s Nectar Card, while loyalty price promotions accounted for 22% of total grocery revenues for supermarkets which offered them between November 2023 and January 2024.
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