A new YouGov survey commissioned by Tesco reveals that 69% of shoppers now look out for markdowns in store and the thrifty trick is gaining appeal with 33% of customers looking for the reductions more frequently. Tesco’s new hack will help customers save on their weekly shop with a facelift for its ‘Reduced to Clear’ areas which will roll out to 100 stores by Christmas, and more stores again throughout 2023.
The new signage lets customers know the items are “Reduced in price – just as nice” and Tesco hopes it will tempt the 29% of people who said they would shop reduced items more often if the section was made more visually appealing. Reduced to clear sections feature a wide range of products from fresh produce such as salads, meat, bread and sweet treats which are close to their expiry date.
Tesco Chief Customer Officer Alessandra Bellini said: “We want customers to spend less at Tesco, and our ‘Reduced in Price’ sections in stores now offer the reassurance that these products are just as nice and are another reminder there's great value to be found on every aisle at Tesco.
"We’ve locked the price of more than a thousand everyday staples until 2023 through our Low Everyday Prices, and we continue to price match on 100’s products in Aldi.
“We’re also helping millions of customers spend less through their Tesco Clubcard, with Clubcard Prices giving up to 50% off thousands of products and helping customers collect points for money off their shopping.”
Tesco’s survey also revealed:
- Meat products prove most popular in the reduced-to-clear section followed by ready meals, vegetables and then desserts.
- Of those who tend to keep an eye out for yellow label reductions, 71 per cent said it’s a cheaper option when they want to eat the food straight away. And 51 per cent say it’s a great value way to stock up the freezer.
- Yellow sticker reductions are most popular in the east of England with 75 per cent of customers looking out for them when shopping. This is closely followed by Wales (74 per cent), and the South of England (72 per cent).
The move also plays to Tesco’s plans to halve food waste in its own operations by 2025. Tesco has already achieved a 45% reduction in food waste across its own operations since 2016/17 and just 0.35% of food it handled last year ended up as waste.
