Independent retailers who have participated in loyalty firm Shopmium’s discount programme have seen increased basket spend and repeated footfall into their stores.

The firm works with independent retailers, symbols groups such as Spar, Budgens, Premier, Costcutter and Londis, and multiples nationwide to offer free or discounted goods to members of its smartphone app. Items include impulse, soft drinks and household.

Members are notified if there is a promotion in a nearby participating store. Once they purchase the item, they must take a picture of the product and scan the barcode. Once these are uploaded to the app, the discount will be transferred to their bank account.

Shopmium head of UK Stuart Sankey told RN participating stores have been able to attract incremental spend and encourage repeat visits from new customers. He added: “We’re looking at how we can capture footfall. One of the biggest challenges in the independent convenience sector is creating relationships with customers.

“We’ve seen a 10-15% growth in monthly users compared to last year due to customers having tighter incomes. What we’re doing is we’re encouraging retailers to market similar products with those on offer. An example is peppers with an Old El Paso Fajita kit.

“We find that 35% of users will repurchase a product. They will likely because they know it’s available there and its price.”