Recent survey results, commissioned by United Natural Foods, Inc., reveal consumer interest in grocery discounts, highlighting strong demand for retail technology solutions

With food prices remaining high, many consumers are turning to their smartphones for digital coupons at local grocery stores over traditional paper circulars. According to a new survey from United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE: UNFI) (the “Company” or “UNFI”) and Swiftly, 43% of Americans use digital coupons at their local grocery store via a smartphone app versus just 23% who physically cut coupons from a paper circular. What’s more, nearly half of Americans (45%) report they rely on deals and promotions as part of their everyday grocery shopping experience, and (49%) desire more deals on things they want or already buy.

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UNFI recently launched its UNFI Media Network (UMN) for independent and regional grocery retailers across the United States. UMN combines UNFI's expansive scale and breadth of supplier offerings with Swiftly's advanced technology platform, personalization engine, closed-loop reporting, and analytics capabilities. It brings retail technology solutions to UNFI’s extensive network of more than 30,000 retail customer locations and approximately 11,000 brand partners, to help them compete in an increasingly digital-first world. (Graphic: Business Wire)

The findings point to a growing demand for retail technology solutions that connect consumers to brand offerings at the time and place when they’re ready to buy, such as the UNFI Media Network™ (UMN), powered by Swiftly. This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of UNFI from June 25-27, 2024, among 2,092 adults ages 18 and older.

Louis Martin, UNFI’s President of Wholesale, said, “We partner with our customers every day to help them compete in today’s retail marketplace. Our retail media network accelerates our ability to help independent grocers create more value by better connecting them to their shoppers via tailored promotions and cutting-edge digital touchpoints. The results of this survey are a meaningful validation of our strategy and reaffirm the importance of our focus to help our customers leverage retail media to more impactfully reach today’s consumers.”

UNFI recently launched the first-of-its-kind retail media network for independent and regional grocery retailers across the United States. UMN combines UNFI's expansive scale and breadth of supplier offerings with Swiftly's advanced technology platform, personalization engine, closed-loop reporting, and analytics capabilities. It brings retail technology solutions to UNFI’s extensive network of more than 30,000 retail customer locations and approximately 11,000 brand partners, to help them compete in an increasingly digital-first world. The goal of UMN is to empower UNFI’s retail customers to connect more meaningfully and personally with their consumers while simultaneously providing unique opportunities for UNFI suppliers to showcase their brands and build their brand equity.

“In partnering with UNFI, we are building one of the leading retail media networks in the U.S. that’s dedicated to ensuring the growth and success of today’s independent and regional grocer,” said Henry Kim, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at Swiftly. “Our advanced platform is well regarded amongst key brands and retailers for its turnkey, industry-leading technology and proven success helping partners digitally transform their businesses. This data shows how vital that platform is becoming for grocers of all sizes to engage with consumers.”

Additional survey findings revealed:

• Price is a sticking point for shoppers.
  
  Just 8% of Americans say they don’t care about finding ways to save money at their local grocery stores, and only 12% say price does not factor into purchasing decisions.
• Greater emphasis on digital
  
  Nine in 10 Americans (92%) know whether their local grocery store offers digital coupons and nearly a third (32%) wish their local grocery store offered more digital coupons.

To learn more about UMN, visit https://www.unfi.com/unfi-media-network.

Survey Methodology

This survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll on behalf of UNFI from June 25-27, 2024, among 2,092 adults ages 18 and older. The sampling precision of Harris online polls is measured by using a Bayesian credible interval. For this study, the sample data is accurate to within +/-2.5 percentage points using a 95% confidence level. For complete survey methodology, including weighting variables and subgroup sample sizes, please contact cdavis@UNFI.com.

About UNFI

UNFI is North America's premier grocery wholesaler delivering the widest variety of fresh, branded, and owned brand products to more than 30,000 locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, ecommerce providers, and food service customers. UNFI also provides a broad range of value-added services and segmented marketing expertise, including proprietary technology, data, market insights, and shelf management to help customers and suppliers build their businesses and brands. As the largest full-service grocery partner in North America, UNFI is committed to building a food system that is better for all and is uniquely positioned to deliver great food, more choices, and fresh thinking to customers. To learn more about how UNFI is delivering value for its stakeholders, visit www.unfi.com.

About Swiftly

Swiftly is a leading provider of technology and retail media and technology solutions for retailers worldwide. Founded in 2018, Swiftly offers innovative solutions that drive retail engagement and enable retailers to own the digital relationship with their customer. Swiftly's Retail Tools, Mobile Platforms, Analytics Tools, and Retail Media Network enables retailers to accelerate sales and build loyalty while enabling brands to reach more shoppers and amplify campaigns using the power of 1st party data. Trusted by hundreds of iconic brands, Swiftly is democratizing retail technology and giving retailers the tools they need to compete in today's crowded marketplace. To learn more visit www.swiftly.com.

Safe Harbor Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Statements in this press release regarding the Company’s business that are not historical facts are “forward-looking statements” that involve risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations and management estimates; actual results may differ materially. The risks and uncertainties which could impact these statements include those described in the Company’s filings under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including its annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended July 29, 2023, filed with the SEC on September 26, 2023, and other filings the Company makes with the SEC. Any forward-looking statements are made pursuant to the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and, as such, speak only as of the date made. The Company is not undertaking to update any information contained in this press release to reflect subsequently occurring events or circumstances. Any estimates of future results of operations are based on a number of assumptions, many of which are outside the Company’s control and should not be construed in any manner as a guarantee that such results will in fact occur. These estimates are subject to change and could differ materially from final reported results.

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