Dive Brief:
- The Save Mart Companies and its banner stores have partnered with Fandango to provide movie rewards that shoppers can spend at theaters or on the Vudu streaming service, according to a Friday press release.
- Shoppers who buy $25 worth of designated products in a single transaction at Save Mart, Lucky California or FoodMaxx stores can choose between a $13 promo code for either Fandango or Vudu. The promotion lasts through Aug. 10.
- Save Mart’s promotion coincides with a recent surge in consumers frequenting movie theaters as pandemic-era restrictions have lifted.
Dive Insight:
For the next three weeks, The Save Mart Companies is going to see if the promise of movie rewards can boost sales of chips, candy, soda and other products.
Dozens of items throughout store aisles will feature “Fandango Buy Me” tags in stores, including brands like Pepsi, Frito-Lay, Nature’s Own and M&M's. When shoppers buy $25 or more worth of tagged items in a single trip, they’ll get a promo code that they can then redeem for $13 toward a movie ticket or a film streaming on Vudu, which the movie ticket seller bought last year.
Prizes can be redeemed up to four times per household, and shoppers have to use their promo code by Sept. 30.
“We know that many of our customers have been patiently waiting for new movie options, and this program allows them to choose to visit a movie theatre or view comfortably in their own homes,” Hal Levitt, senior vice president of retail operations and supply chain for The Save Mart Companies, said in a statement.
The promotion comes during the height of summer movie season and as theater chains start to see attendance levels bounce back. AMC Entertainment Holdings reported that 3.2 million people visited its movie theaters between July 8-11, setting a record for movie attendance over the previous 16 months.
It also comes as retailers, like Hy-Vee, Natural Grocers and Harris Teeter, are getting creative with promotions, rewards and membership programs. As these options expand, experts predict companies will add additional perks, like free movie tickets, to their membership platforms.
