Personalized Coupons: Your Favorite Food Saving You Money

Personal coupons are making your favorite items cost less. Safeway and Kroger are using frequent shoppers' information to deliver deals on their everyday groceries. Now, products are offered at different prices to different customers based on their shopping habits. 

Out of cereal and need to grab more? You'll probably be offered a lower price than a first-time buyer of your particular brand, and may even receive personalized coupons for milk or other breakfast accoutrements. 

It seems like a win-win: it's helping the consumer by offering discounts and will hopefully raise the company's profit margins in return. If shoppers get a deal on what they're buying and spending less money on the necessities, then perhaps they'll spend more on other products while perusing the aisles. And, nudging them in that direction are personalized suggestions based on the coupons they receive. It sounds like a positive strategy to help both parties, but every system and new implementation has its kinks. 

There are those that have their qualms about different shoppers getting different deals on the same product, or their grocery store so blatantly using their personal information. Then again, Ainy Kazmi, a Safeway shopper in Ellicott City, Md. says, "It's a little bit creepy, but I figure they're checking everything out anyway... I might as well get a good deal out of it." 

And, we suppose, she's right. Groceries aren't usually random purchases, and it's hard to imagine any two carts having exactly the same thing, so why shouldn't shoppers get a good deal on what they choose to buy on a regular basis? 

I suppose we'll have to wait and see how more consumers respond to the personal, digital shopper accompanying them to the grocery store. 

For more information on Safeway and Kroger's new offerings, please click here.