The math tells a compelling story: 59% of grocery shoppers in a New York market visited a ShopRite location sometime in the past year. But only 43% came back last month. That 16-point gap represents households that know the stores, appreciate the value positioning, but aren't choosing ShopRite consistently.

These aren't lost customers. They're uncommitted ones, planning an average of seven grocery trips this month across three to four different banners. Each time they choose Stop & Shop, Target, or Aldi instead of ShopRite, that represents roughly $140 in revenue going elsewhere. More importantly, it represents a relationship that never quite solidifies into habit.

The challenge isn't price. ShopRite's value perception is already strong. The challenge is creating a reason to come back sooner and more often in a market where everyone offers some version of rewards, discounts, or membership benefits.

What uncommitted customers actually do

These shoppers have a clear pattern. They visit ShopRite, but 77% don't consider it their primary store. They're not avoiding it, they're just not prioritizing it. Stop & Shop captures the most overlap, followed by Target and Aldi, then Walmart and Trader Joe's.

This is how we see modern grocery shopping working when households optimize for convenience, variety, and value across multiple retailers. They've learned that every store has its strengths, so they split their business accordingly.

The question becomes: how do retailers shift from occasional consideration to consistent preference without discounting into margin erosion?

How personalized cash back changes the pattern

Upside already operates in New York with proven traction in fuel and restaurants, where personalized promotions routinely drive 1-2% incremental sales lift in the first year. The same mechanism applies to grocery: targeted cash back on everyday baskets, timed for off-peak periods, delivered to shoppers already trained on rewards ecosystems like Target Circle and Prime.

The difference is specificity. Unlike broad discounts or points programs that reward behavior that would happen anyway, personalized offers create new trips. A shopper who typically visits twice a month sees a notification on Tuesday afternoon: cash-back available on her next ShopRite purchase. That becomes trip number three, captured from a competitor who would have gotten it otherwise.

Retailers using this approach typically see participating customers increase their visit frequency 2-3x. For uncommitted shoppers averaging $140 per trip, each additional monthly visit compounds into significant share-of-wallet gains over time. The Upside program typically operates at a 45-60% ROI with no capital expenditure or operational overhead.

What customers say directly

When surveyed about whether cash-back at ShopRite would change their behavior, the response was direct:

• "Participating in Upside would encourage me to spend more money at ShopRite."
• "I would shop at ShopRite's stores more often."
• "Upside is a great app, would definitely encourage me to shop more at ShopRite."

These aren't hypothetical preferences. They're descriptions of existing behavior in fuel and restaurants, where the same shoppers already use personalized promotions to decide where to spend. The mechanism works because it meets them where they are: finding the exact promotion that will change their buying behavior towards our retail partners.

The +40% of area shoppers who didn't visit ShopRite at all in the past year represent a different opportunity. For them, the friction isn't performance or perception, it's simply inertia. Cash-back creates a tangible reason to break existing patterns and try a store they might otherwise keep postponing.

Closing the 16-point gap

Turning annual consideration into a monthly habit means staying top of mind with timely reminders and exclusive promotions your competitors can’t offer. Strong price leadership and loyalty programs provide the foundation. Personalized cash-back gives shoppers another reason to come back sooner, shifting a retailer from one option among many to the default choice for their next trip.

For a market where Stop & Shop, Walmart, Target, and Aldi all compete for the same uncommitted households, differentiation matters. The gap exists because these shoppers need one more reason to choose consistently. The opportunity is giving them exactly that.

If your team wants to explore what personalized promotions could deliver for specific market dynamics, Upside is ready to share detailed scenarios and performance expectations.