Study: Which grocery app do customers prefer?

Consumers are generally willing to use mobile apps to assist with grocery shopping, and there is one retailer whose app is the clear favorite.



According to a new study from Blackhawk Engagement Solutions,’ “How Grocery Shoppers Shop: Changing Trends in Grocery Shopping,” the top used grocery app among U.S. consumers by a wide margin is Amazon (71%). This is followed by grocery store apps (28%), Walmart (26%) and Target (25%). Third-party savings apps are not used much, with use in the low single digits for the grocery channel.



One reason grocery shoppers appear to be using apps is for finding deals and promotions. Fifty-eight percent of shoppers actively look for deals and promotions before going to the grocery store. Almost seven in 10 (68%) belong to at least two grocery store loyalty programs and another 68% always use deals, promotions and coupons on grocery store items, while the rest do sometimes.



One set of results helped illustrate the popularity of the Amazon grocery app despite the lack of Amazon grocery stores. When asked to rank the factors in selecting a grocery store by order of importance, shoppers placed the convenience of location behind the attraction of price: 70% said price was the leading factor, 59% said products/brands I specifically need, 48% said store location and 31% said faster checkout. Additionally, 60% of shoppers report being loyal to a particular grocery store.

In another sign of grocery price sensitivity, 91% of shoppers believe store brands are a great value, and 72% believe store brands are the same quality as national brands. Only half (52%) of shoppers report buying brand-name products always or in certain categories.



When it comes to savings the majority of grocery shoppers prefer richer rebate rewards over instant discounts for single-item purchases across all grocery store departments, including gift cards, cooking and baking supplies, cleaning supplies, pet supplies, baby supplies, paper products, meat and deli items and more.



“Brands can no longer take grocery customers for granted,” said Rodney Mason, general VP of marketing at Blackhawk Engagement Solutions. “Price sensitivity, customer time deficiency, and instant access to promotions and product information are putting greater pressure on retail and product companies to shift with consumer demands.”