Content about Pricing

BOSTON — A privately owned supermarket chain in California and Nevada has partnered with a division of Dunnhumby to develop a grocery retailer advocacy online platform to supplement its loyalty program.

Dunnhumby said its social marketing arm, BzzAgent, had partnered with Raley's Family of Fine Stores to build the new online platform, Something Extra Try-It. Raley's 128 stores in northern California and Nevada under the Raley's Supermarkets, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods and Food Source banners and launched Something Extra in September 2012 with DunnhumbyUSA.

CHICAGO — One-in-5 consumers between the ages of 35 years and 54 years are choosing products due to a loyalty card discount, SymphonyIRI Group reported Wednesday as part of its fourth quarter 2012 MarketPulse survey. And almost one-third are forsaking their preferred brands due to a sale price. The survey found that shopper sentiment dropped to its lowest point since Q3 2011.

DALLAS — AffordRx.com is making a prescription discount card that offers savings of up to 75% at more than 56,000 pharmacies across the country available to all residents of the United States, the company said.

The company said the cards would be available without restrictions on membership and that there were no income requirements, age limitations or applications.

"We are excited to launch this program, potentially saving Americans millions of dollars on their prescription medication," AffordRx spokesman Dylan Marc said.

Handheld frozen foods have grown quickly in the last two years, and Mintel expects growth to continue. U.S. retail sales are expected to top $3.8 billion 
by 2016.


DENVER — Ibotta on Friday officially launched its free mobile application for iPhone users that gives consumers a new way to earn as much as $40 in cash each time they shop. With Ibotta, consumers earn cash rewards for answering a trivia question, watching videos and/or providing feedback on their favorite products, then buying the products in major national retailers, such as Walmart, Target and Walgreens.  

NEW YORK — Deloitte is forecasting holiday sales will increase between 3.5% and 4% as the economy's health and the presidential election take center stage among consumers this fall.

Despite some distractions this year, retailers should expect a modest increase in 2012 holiday sales, according to Deloitte’s annual holiday forecast release Tuesday morning.

While traditional circulars still have their place within retail — especially when it comes to reaching older shoppers — there’s no doubt that the tides are changing as loyalty cards take a greater share of the 
promotional spotlight. 


A recent study by market research firm Polaris Marketing Research, for example, found that Americans are participating in loyalty card programs more now than ever before, and many are participating in five or more 
loyalty programs.


WOONSOCKET, R.I. — The CVS/pharmacy ExtraCare program, which boasts more than 70 million active members, now gives shoppers the ability to earn bigger rewards on most purchases during the peak fall and winter shopping season.

From Sept. 16 through Dec. 15, ExtraCare members can double their quarterly ExtraBucks Rewards by choosing to participate.

NEW YORK — Details of Walgreens' new loyalty card — Balance Rewards — that's debuting next month were revealed in a New York Times report published Friday.

Leading that effort is Graham Atkinson, who joined Walgreens in 2011 from his position of president United Airlines Mileage Plus.

The card makes its official debut Sept. 16, though Walgreens will be encouraging first-adopters to sign on earlier in September for a chance to win 10 million rewards points, the report noted.

CAMP HILL, Pa. — Members of Rite Aid's loyalty card program will have special reward points added to their cards automatically starting next month, the retail pharmacy chain said Thursday.

Beginning Sept. 2, Wellness+ members will have +UPs loaded to their cards automatically. +UPs are special rewards earned when certain items or groups of items are purchased and can be used like cash toward future purchases. Rite Aid COO Ken Martindale said the national rollout of the Load2Card feature for +UPs would follow a seven-month pilot in four cities.

In 2006, Time magazine added a twist to its annual “Person of the Year” cover story, replacing the usual picture of some prominent individual with a picture of a glossy computer screen to show that social networking had made “you” the person of the year. Now, the idea that it’s all about “you” has percolated into retail.