Earth Fare gamifies buying better-for-you brands

Dive Brief:

Earth Fare has introduced a new feature through rewards app Merryfield that gamifies the shopping experience for customers, allowing them to earn points by interacting with fast facts, pop quizzes, quick polls and videos, according to a Monday emailed announcement.
Micro-Moments is the newest addition to Merryfield’s Learn & Earn app program, which the specialty grocer integrated last year.
Grocers continue to incorporate gamification into the shopping experience as they work to incentivize customers as well as build shopper loyalty.

Dive Insight:

Earth Fare aims to assist and encourage shoppers in selecting “better-for-you brands” through Merryfield’s Learn & Earn program through education, gamification and rewards.

Shoppers can scan in-aisle QR codes at any Earth Fare location to interact with the app’s newest program, Micro-Moments, and learn about what is in the products they’re buying. Customers can then earn points by scanning a grocery receipt including better-for-you brands that participate in the app’s Micro-Moments, according to the announcement. Points can be redeemed for gift cards from companies like Nike, Sephora and Airbnb.

Earth Fare adopted Merryfield’s Learn & Earn program last May to influence shoppers’ point-of-purchase decision with in-aisle branded digital content as well as exclusive incentives and rewards for participating customers, according to the press release. The grocer added in-store signage, QR codes and shelf tags across its stores to reveal product information, educational content and interactive experiences through the Merryfield app.

In-store signage of Learn & Earth QR code at Earth Fare — In-store signage with a Learn & Earn QR code at Earth Fare with Merryfield's co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Zooey Deschanel.

Courtesy of Earth Fare

“We believe that learning about the products you purchase should be as enjoyable as the shopping experience itself,” Laurie Aker, Earth Fare’s director of marketing, said in a statement. “Micro-Moments are designed to make every trip to Earth Fare not just about filling your cart but also about engaging with the stories behind the products you choose.”

Both Earth Fare’s and Merryfield’s missions center around transparency in products and their ingredients. Similar to Earth Fare’s “Boot List,” which states ingredients the grocer has banned, Merryfield has a “Watch List” that includes hundreds of banned chemicals and additives, the announcement noted.

Gamification continues to be a tool grocers incorporate to encourage both in-store and online shopping. In July 2023, Albertsons brought back Flavor Adventure, an online game that lets shoppers unlock recipes, digital coupons, sweepstakes entries and prizes.

In January, Instacart’s Caper Cart demo at the National Retail Federation’s Big Show conference showcased a gamifying feature where shoppers could spin a virtual wheel on the smart cart screen for a chance to win a prize.