Until just a few years ago, the traditional printed flyer was considered the key source for information about retail promotions. Today, however, digital tools are becoming increasingly dominant.

Bonus and loyalty programs, shopping assistance apps such as Smhaggle, and online brochure platforms such as Marktguru or kaufDA are competing for shoppers’ attention. At the same time, retailers are intensifying their sales-supporting activities at the POS through digital displays and in-store screens — making the digital retail environment (grocery retail/drugstores) increasingly colorful and diverse.

• But can shoppers still maintain an overview amid this growing complexity of communication measures?
• Which retail bonus and loyalty programs are known? Which are actively used?
• Why do shoppers use loyalty and rewards programs? To increase purchases or to collect points?
• How effective is retail media at the POS? Which tools and brands are remembered?
• How important are print and digital communication across individual product categories? (grocery retail/drugstores)
• For which customer groups is digital online communication important? For which customer groups is offline print retail communication important?
• Does the “exclusive print flyer user” still exist? What role does the printed flyer still play and what is its level of usage?
• What are the reasons for using retail loyalty/rewards programs (increased purchases or collecting points)?
• How effective is retail media at the POS? Which tools, promotions, and brands are remembered?
• How important are print and digital communication across specific product categories? (grocery retail/drugstores)
• Are print advertising and digital communication used in parallel (hybrid usage)?
• How willing are shoppers to switch from print to digital? What are the obstacles and barriers?
• What do flyer users do if printed flyers from their grocery store and/or drugstore are no longer available? Would they switch to other media, apps, or online brochure platforms?
• How is the digital communication of individual retail companies evaluated? How are printed flyers evaluated?
• How frequently are digital brochure portals used?

The mafowerk Trend Evaluation Shopper Insights Retail Media and Loyalty Programs – Retail Communication from Offline to Online 2026 examines current consumer attitudes, usage patterns, and shopping habits, focusing on the key question: how can product offers and product categories best enter the shopper’s “relevant set”? Both current findings and comparisons with 2022, 2023, and 2025 are included.

Nuremberg/Fürth, March 2026

Image: © shutterstock / KYNA STUDIO