Promotions of food and drink in an online retail environment: evidence overview - A report

We have recently conducted an evidence overview to gain a better understanding of the context and types of food and drink promotions found in an online retail environment. This is because shopping for groceries online has been increasing in popularity and has accelerated since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The overview found that price promotions online stimulated sales. The evidence suggested that individually customised price promotions, which are based on shopper characteristics, could increase retailers’ profits both in physical retail stores and online. Little evidence on non-monetary promotions online may indicate a gap in evidence. Strategies to personalise online promotions are constantly evolving through analyses of wealth of data from store loyalty programmes.