Early this year, Safeway took its loyalty card to a whole new level of value for the consumer with its FoodFlex program. Not only does a swipe of a shopper’s loyalty card save them money at the checkout stand, but that same card now tracks purchase history to generate nutritional reports and health-conscious alternatives. By registering on the FoodFlex website, shoppers can search for healthier options of their favorite foods based on criteria they determine, such as calories, sodium, total fat, and so on. Once a shopper has decided what substitute they want to purchase, they can add that product to their printable shopping list. Furthermore, FoodFlex users can check out the gaps and excesses in their household’s diet by tracking the nutritional trend charts produced by the website’s analysis of purchase history.
Even though users register on the website via their loyalty card number, FoodFlex excludes the prices of suggested products. While you can’t put a price on good health, FoodFlex would be a better draw, especially in the current recession-state of the economy, if it offered special money-saving offers on its nutritionally-minded recommendations. Overall, Safeway’s FoodFlex appears to have found a great technique for appealing to customers trying to better their eating habits while marketing their higher-end health food brands in the process.
Contributed by Alli Sands
