Until just a few years ago, traditional printed flyers were the be-all and end-all when it came to informing shoppers about retail promotions. Now, digital tools are rapidly gaining ground.

Bonus and loyalty programs, shopping assistance apps like Smhaggle, and online leaflet portals such as Marktguru or kaufDA are competing for shoppers’ attention. At the same time, retailers are intensifying their sales support at the point of sale with digital displays and in-store screens – the digital world in grocery and drugstores is becoming more vibrant and diverse.

But do shoppers still have a clear overview amid the jungle of marketing activities?

• Which retail bonus/loyalty programs are known? Which are actually used?
• Why do shoppers use loyalty and rewards programs? To purchase more or to collect points?
• How effective is retail media at the POS: which tools are recalled? Which brands are remembered?
• How important are print and digital media for individual product categories? (grocery/drugstores)
• Does the “print-only flyer user” still exist? What role do they still play, and how intensively are printed flyers used?
• What do flyer users do if their grocery or drugstore stops distributing printed flyers? Would they use other channels such as apps or online leaflet portals?
• How is the digital communication of individual retailers perceived? How are printed flyers evaluated?

The mafowerk Trend Evaluation – Shopper Insights: Retail Media and Loyalty Programs – Retail Communication from Offline to Online 2025 explores current attitudes, usage, and shopping habits with a central question: How do product offers and categories best make it into the shopper’s “relevant set”?
This study includes a comparison with the years 2022 and 2023.

Nuremberg/Fürth, April 2025

Image: © mafowerk