Inside Giant Food’s full-funnel partnership with Upside

Giant and Upside’s co-marketing initiatives reach shoppers in everyday moments, boosting spend across segments. 

Today, the average grocery shopper spreads their spend across three banners a month. Many consider prices and value when deciding where to shop for each trip. 

And yet, loyalty membership has never been higher. Leading grocers routinely see 90% of transactions tagged with a loyalty card number, and the average grocery loyalty member belongs to a handful of programs in this category alone.

These trends illustrate an uncomfortable truth: loyalty membership and loyal behavior are two very different things.

At Giant Food, the top conventional grocer in Washington, D.C., even its regular shoppers split spend across banners. It’s not because they don't like Giant, but because they’re prioritizing their own value on each trip ahead of a single brand name.

“Many of the customers we’re trying to influence are actively comparing options across multiple retailers,” said Ryan Draude, Giant Food’s head of loyalty. “You can’t assume your owned channels are part of that decision every time.”

Giant continuously innovates to deliver value to shoppers. Recently, the brand has remodeled locations, established “Fresh Low Prices” on perishables and private-label items, upgraded its Flexible Rewards loyalty program, created in-store Savings Stations, and more.

One ongoing challenge, though, is reaching those consumers before they make a decision on where to shop for the week.
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Giant’s partnership with Upside

Giant first partnered with Upside in October 2025 to help stand out in a competitive market and deliver even more value to its shoppers. 

With Upside, Giant is influencing customer decision-making before they ever enter a store. The personalized cash-back offers in our digital marketplace help Giant win more trips and higher spend.

Then, when customers do make it inside the store, Giant can lean on what makes the brand special to build deeper trust.
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Co-marketing that motivates customers and influences trips

On top of that core partnership, Giant and Upside have collaborated to find new ways to reach cross-shopping, value-driven shoppers before they make a decision. Together, we’ve extended reach outside Giant’s four walls by:
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Reaching shoppers where they are

Together, we’ve posted billboards in the DMV area to increase awareness of Giant’s offers in the Upside marketplace.

We’ve also created radio and YouTube ads tied to major local events, like NFL Sundays, so shoppers consider Giant and Upside when stocking up for a game.

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Meeting shoppers in the moments that matter

We’ve run email campaigns and time-bound bonus offers around particular holidays. These initiatives keep Giant top-of-mind with shoppers seeking extra value as they plan their celebration.

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Maximizing everyday value

We’re partnering on new ways to bring existing Upside users to Giant. Plus, Giant expanded its Upside offering to provide cash back on pickup orders, giving consumers more flexibility to shop however they prefer. Driving customers in-store also gives Giant more opportunities to showcase their Flexible Rewards program, helping shoppers better understand how they can stretch their dollars.

Aligned goals, shared growth

Together, Giant and Upside have found new ways to reach shoppers before they’ve decided where to stock up for the week. This ongoing, multi-channel push is helping to win trips from value-driven shoppers that Giant wasn’t capturing alone.

Better yet, these efforts complement Giant’s existing marketing initiatives. By bringing more shoppers in-store and helping Giant grow its Flexible Rewards program, Upside helps shoppers discover all the investments Giant has already made to deliver great value.

Upside dedicates significant creative resources and marketing spend to these growth strategies because our goals are fully aligned with our retail partners and the consumers they serve — we win together. 

“Working with Upside has helped us reach those value-focused, cross-shopping consumers at the moment they’re deciding where to shop,” Draude said. “We’re influencing consumers in a way that is relevant for them and profitable for us.”

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