The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has found that people who are members of a loyalty scheme can almost always make a genuine saving on the usual price by buying loyalty priced products.
Having analysed around 50,000 grocery products on a loyalty price promotion, it found very little evidence of stores inflating prices to make loyalty promotions seem like a better deal.
However, while these discounts are legitimate, its review has shown that loyalty prices aren’t always the cheapest option, so shopping around is still key.
The CMA conducted a consumer survey to understand what shoppers specifically think about loyalty pricing. It asked if they trust it, do they think it’s fair, and does it change where people choose to shop. 76% of shoppers say loyalty pricing has not changed where they shop, but 24% now compare prices more due to the introduction of loyalty pricing.
As part of its wide-ranging review, the CMA also looked at the way supermarkets collect and use people’s data when they sign up to a loyalty scheme. It did not see evidence of consumer law concerns in relation to this.
The full report can be read here.
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