The news: Giant Food rolled out in-store Savings Stations across all 162 of its stores, it announced in a press release.

• Savings Stations let shoppers scan a loyalty card or enter a phone number to load weekly digital coupons and activate personalized Flexible Rewards offers.
• The kiosks, located near store entrances, also print customized savings lists and let customers enroll in the loyalty program on the spot.

Zooming in: Giant Food is trying to make its value proposition more accessible, but the approach still adds friction by requiring shoppers to stop at a kiosk and scan their loyalty card or enter a phone number.

The system may provide a workaround for digital-only grocery coupons, which several states are pushing to prohibit. But it still requires consumers to take an additional step to access the discounts, which is part of what made those offers unpopular.

Zooming out: Giant’s kiosks are the latest in a wave of grocer efforts to demonstrate value.

• Several retailers, including Walmart and Whole Foods, have embarked on high-profile price cuts.
• Kroger revamped its loyalty program in June to let members redeem points for groceries in addition to gas.

Implications for grocers: With nearly 40% of consumers citing rising prices as their top concern for the coming year, shoppers are comparing prices and switching retailers to stretch their budgets. That raises the stakes for grocers to make savings easy to find and apply, since every additional inconvenient step risks driving shoppers to a competitor.

Retailers need to balance personalization with simplicity. Loyalty-based offers provide valuable first-party data and let grocers target discounts rather than cut prices across the board. But retailers like Walmart are making a more straightforward bet on lower shelf prices that require no scanning, app, or kiosk visit. That sacrifices some opportunities for personalization but makes savings immediately visible and accessible to every shopper.

Ideally, retailers can find a sweet spot by finding ways to preserve the data and targeting benefits of personalization while making savings feel as simple and transparent as an everyday low price. For example, grocers could automatically apply personalized offers at checkout once shoppers enter their loyalty information, eliminating the need to clip digital coupons or visit a kiosk.