Creating a small stockpile of items you use regularly can insulate you from price increases. Many people shop at multiple stores to take advantage of advertised specials, perks from loyalty cards, or discounts on their favorite brands.
Using apps to keep track of shareable grocery lists, leveraging cash-back apps, and staying organized can further reduce food costs. A robust POS system like IT Retail can enable all of these strategies.
Plan Your Shopping Trip
A few intelligent grocery shopping strategies can go a long way toward saving you time, money, and even a little sanity! Incorporate these simple techniques into your kitchen routine, and you can say goodbye to unnecessary spending and hello to a more budget-conscious, efficient cooking experience.
Start with a Grocery List: Creating a meal plan before your grocery trip gives you the structure to stay on track and avoid impulse buying, which can significantly boost your bill. This meal planning step also empowers you to make informed purchasing decisions based on your meal goals rather than simply what’s on sale. Purchasing items in bulk when they’re on sale and storing them in your freezer or pantry for later use can offer additional cost savings, too.
On your grocery list, include any items that need to be replaced and those on rotation, such as meat or produce. Prioritizing these items helps you to shop efficiently and effectively, ensuring that your cart is filled with only the most essential and nutritionally sound items.
In addition, remember to consider the unit prices of each item versus its brand name and compare packages before making your selections. This will help you to identify the best value for your dollar and minimize food waste.
Combine Coupons with Sales
A solid grocery shopping strategy can significantly impact how a household spends money and manages its food inventory. Whether aimed at reducing shopping frequency, preparing for an emergency, or simply streamlining the household’s food management, strategic grocery shopping can be a significant time and money saver.
To maximize savings, shoppers must know which coupons work and how to stack them. For example, many coupon hunters utilize a service like Walmart to get rebates on purchases and combine them with in-store promotions such as doubling coupons (where the value of a manufacturer coupon is doubled up to a specific limit under $1).
The best grocery stores also offer in-store sales to their customers. These can include a “buy one, get one” promotion on items or a discount on a specific product category like organic foods. Offering these discounts makes shoppers feel valued and can boost customer loyalty.
For retailers to stay ahead of the competition and attract and retain loyal customers, they must provide a seamless omnichannel experience that allows customers to choose the right buying channel: store, mobile app, or online. They can also use technologies that enable them to connect with customers, providing personalized offers and content based on first-party data, such as ads, digital shopping lists, and loyalty coupons.
Check the Store’s Circulars
Most people write the most extensive monthly check for their mortgage or rent, but the next most significant expense is often their grocery bill. Fortunately, you don’t need to reconcile yourself to a diet of ramen noodles to protect your budget; you can save big on food and household staples by being strategic with coupons.
Start by getting a weekly newspaper or going online to find the ad for your local grocery store. Experts say this ad is an excellent source for coupons, and you can usually find a lot of value in one issue. If you can’t find the ad, look for flyers at the front of the store or registers stocked with valid coupons for the current week.
Another way to nab coupons is to pay attention to annual sale cycles. For example, school supplies usually go on sale in mid-summer, an excellent opportunity to stock up and use coupons for items you’ll need throughout the year.
An app can help you stay on top of your coupon game. It scans grocery ads and displays the best offers in a single view, so you can keep track of deals and make more informed decisions while at the store. You can also add stores you shop at frequently to your “favorites” in the app, so you’ll be notified when they sell the items you’re shopping for.
Leverage Store Loyalty Programs
In addition to securing existing customers, c-store loyalty programs drive up average order value. For example, one C-store chain’s loyalty program provides members access to private brands and sales items that add value without significantly increasing the company’s costs. This increases purchase frequency and basket size – with members spending 31% more per transaction than those not in the program.
In the age of digital couponing, retailers must offer a seamless shopping experience across channels and devices. This is especially true for mission-led brands with higher production standards and tighter margins. This includes enabling omnichannel ordering and delivery based on customers’ real-time purchase data, not just static information collected from traditional customer profiles.
This enables grocery retailers to provide new ways to add value for shoppers, including meal planning, grocery list building, and wellness tips personalized to their unique needs. It also enables C-stores to build relationships with their best customers, allowing them to engage in meaningful conversations and create an environment of trust and respect.
Finally, leveraging the information gained through loyalty programs allows for a better understanding of green and red flags that can influence pricing decisions. For example, a small stockpile of regularly used products can help insulate consumers from price hikes by locking in prices for future purchases.
