Schnuck Markets is striding ahead to demonstrate to consumers that it values their well-being.
Throughout April, the Midwestern supermarket chain is providing shoppers across its four-state footprint with $5 in Schnuck Rewards points per week if they record 50,000 steps in a seven-day period through its “Healthier Habits” program. Schnucks also plans to dole out larger numbers of points to randomly selected shoppers who participate in the initiative, which uses an app from fitness company FitLvl.
In addition, Schnucks is providing double points on purchases of about 5,000 better-for-you products to shoppers who sign up for Healthier Habits during the first half of April. Those items, which the grocer gives a “Dietitian Pick” designation, include foods like produce, lean meats and whole grains that have limited levels of sugar, sodium and saturated fats.
Schnucks’ move to link its loyalty program with health-focused activities and nutritious foods reflects a growing trend among food retailers as they look to strengthen shopper loyalty.
About 70% of grocery stores have strategies centered around nutrition, health and well-being, according to a survey report published in February by FMI — The Food Industry Association. Moreover, half of shoppers who participated in a separate FMI survey said they feel their primary food store places a premium on helping them stay healthy, the trade group reported in late 2023.
Last February, Albertsons rolled out an online platform to help shoppers make decisions about health-related factors like exercise, sleep and nutrition. The program, “Sincerely Health,” also gives people loyalty points for locking in a health goal or following a suggestion offered by the system.
Beyond rewarding people for the steps they take and buying healthy foods, Schnucks runs a program through which it alerts shoppers at selected stores when freshly picked foods arrive from farms. The service, which Schnucks runs with startup Foodshed.io, uses tracking devices in produce containers to track products during their journey to the store and generates an alert via the Schnucks Rewards app when shipments come in.
