Survey: Consumers taking advantage of in-store promotions to fight inflation
Shoppers are continuing to look for ways to stretch their dollar at the store – and promotions are playing a key role.
According to a new survey from digital promotions provider Ibotta, nearly seven-in-10 (68%) shoppers who viewed a new product through a promotion reported that they went on to purchase it.
Ibotta noted that consumers are attempting to beat inflation through “strategic flexibility” in order to capitalize on in-store promotions. Nearly one-third (32%) of shoppers surveyed now shop with only a "loose idea" or no plan at all, and pre-trip list-making has dropped to 68% today from 75% in 2023.
Despite the effectiveness of promotions, nearly three-quarters (74%) of items purchased are repeat buys, while only 26% are new trials. In food, 62% of shoppers surveyed require a discount of 25% or more to switch to a new brand. Beverage also has a core segment of high-quality shoppers, as more than half (52%) will switch for an offer up to 25% off, and a further 24% require a major reward of at least 50%.
[READ MORE: Survey: Consumers to cautiously keep spending in 2026]
Ibotta’s survey found that private label brands are continuing to become favorable with consumers. The belief that name brands offer better quality dropped significantly to 38%, down from 44% last year.
As a result, a significant portion (44%) of shoppers surveyed are buying more store brands than last year, with 88% planning to maintain or increase private label purchasing in 2026. Trust in private label quality is highest in food (61%) and home (60%) categories.
Overall, nearly two-thirds (62%) of shoppers agree that price is now more important than a brand name.
"The findings in our State of Spend report confirm a critical shift: value isn’t just a trend, but the center of gravity for the American consumer," said Chris Riedy, chief revenue officer at Ibotta. "Years of economic volatility have forged a new type of shopper, which represents a massive opportunity for CPGs to redefine how they show up. To win in this new normal, brands can’t just be ‘guests’ in the retail ecosystem; they must move beyond traditional playbooks and leverage intelligent offers to meet shoppers exactly where they are, whether that’s a planned trip or spontaneous deal-driven discovery.”
Methodology
Consumer marketing data in the Ibotta report is as of Nov. 23, 2025. Informing the data in the report is an online survey of 5,048 grocery shoppers in the general U.S. population, representing the population across age, gender and income, conducted by Ibotta during Nov. 13 - 23, 2025. The full report can be found here.
