Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer packaged goods companies, with more than 10,000 food and personal care products, has selected SavingStar, Waltham, Mass., to deliver digital rewards to Unilever users, the biggest entre to date of a consumer packaged goods company into the loyalty arena. The promotion runs through Thanksgiving Day.

SavingStar offers digital coupons for more than 100 retailers nationwide from Rite Aid to CVS, Safeway, and Winn-Dixie that provide grocery shoppers with rewards in the currency of their choice. Providing exclusive digital coupons redeemable at over 24,000 grocery and drug stores throughout the country, SavingStar’s digital coupons are linked to customers’ loyalty cards and offer a more convenient and eco-friendly way to save on groceries than paper coupons. SavingStar automatically adds the value of each eCoupon redeemed into users' SavingStar accounts, enabling them to pick their payout from cash to gift cards to charity donations.

A shopper selects the digital coupon he likes on the website or mobile app, and they are automatically linked to his store loyalty card. He uses his card when he checks out and the savings are added to the loyalty account of his choice. He can then choose his payout in the form of miles, points or direct cash back.

The advantage to Unilever for such a program, according to Josh Grossman, SavingStar director of marketing is that it enables the user to accumulate the rewards over several shopping trips rather than just a single trip, and the rewards can be accumulated across several stores, not just a single one, leveraging consumers’ propensity to spread their grocery dollars among multiple merchants.

“No other service tracks people over so many shopping trips or across so many retailers,” Grossman said.

“Shoppers want to save money on their groceries and are looking for solutions that make saving easier. With digital-era technology, we are helping shoppers eliminate clipping paper coupons, mailing receipts, or manually typing in barcodes to keep track of purchases for a brand’s loyalty program. Our technology provides a digitally-advanced solution, making it simple and convenient for consumers to earn rewards,” David Rochon, SavingStar CEO said when the announcement was made. “We’re thrilled to partner with Unilever on this groundbreaking promotion.”

“What distinguishes this promotion is the incredible range of products – more than 10,000 units of products consumers know, love and trust – the combination of savings over multiple trips and retailers and the ability to connect to retailer loyalty cards,” said Christine Cea, Unilever senior director, marketing communications for Unilever, when the program was announced. “It is an unprecedented opportunity for shoppers to save. With the SavingStar program, we are able to reward shoppers for their loyalty to the Unilever brand of products.”

Shoppers can join SavingStar by access the deal either via Facebook on Unilever’s “Making Life Better” page or through the SavingsStar Web site, which includes a link that will take Facebook members to signups via their Facebook pages.

The SavingsStar deals are non-exclusive, Grossman said. So SavingsStar could theoretically sign another major consumer packaged goods company, such as a Procter & Gamble, even if it offers competing products. 

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