Faced with rising prices, brand loyalty programs, especially food, are popular with consumers.
Valentin Dechambre for LePoint.fr
© Richard Villalon / MAXPPP / BELPRESS/MAXPPP
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OSpecial offers, private sales… the benefits of loyalty cards are gaining interest among the French. In a context of soaring prices, customers no longer hesitate to use them to reduce daily expenses, reports The Parisian. “The turnover of promotional operations linked to the loyalty card increased by 17.5% in 2022, compared to 6% for that of promotions, all combined, analyzes Daniel Ducrocq, director of the European distribution department of the Nielsen Institute. IQ. This proves the interest of consumers for loyalty programs. »
If supermarkets are experiencing the greatest increase, “an increase in the number of inserts” is observed in all brands. For example, Intermarché has 250,000 “new” customers in 2022 who joined loyalty programs. At a direct competitor, Carrefour, it is 200,000 additional customers last year.
Digitization, the main asset of brands
For digital, the success of Lidl Plus, Lidl’s loyalty program, launched in October 2021, is symptomatic of the renewed interest in loyalty cards. The application already has 7.5 million registered customers, according to figures provided by the brand. “After a year of existence, it is a record at European level”, specifies the company.
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To attract consumers, the same mechanism is used: larger private label promotions. “This is the main target of food brands, where they can play the most on prices”, specifies Daniel Ducrocq, with the daily. At Intermarché, the strategy is clear. “We have chosen to put our private labels (MDD) at the center of our program because they represent a cheaper alternative to the big, quality brands. Our customers have understood this well and choose these everyday products, which allow them to earn more with each fill of the shopping ”, specifies the brand.
With digitalization, communication is also more direct. “Brands are also changing the way they communicate catalog promotions to their customers, with more emails, SMS… They are able, based on your shopping, to let you know that such an offer in the prospectuses might interest you. And with the Yes Pub, and the end of paper prospectuses, this personalization will increase, ”says Daniel Ducrocq.