Research shows that 74% of Aussies have a personal health goal, whether that’s better sleep, sex, mental sharpness or squats – so is it any surprise that a new app helping shoppers avoid additives and eat clean has already had over 80k downloads?
Today we’re unpacking Supermarket Swap: what it is, how it works, and why it’s a nuanced addition to the grocery landscape for independent retailers.
The details
🥗 Supermarket Swap is an app created by savvy mum Nabula Brdar after she got kinda sorta obsessed with sourcing additive and preservative free foods for her son during the pandemic.
🥗 It helps healthy shoppers beat overwhelm – so many choices, so little time! – by curating “clean” grocery choices compiled by dieticians and nutritionists.
🥗 There are currently 2500 products listed in the app found in the four majors and select independents.
🥗 Supermarket Swap focuses on additive free products while allowing users to filter by dietary requirements such as gluten and dairy free, creating cross-store shopping lists and meal plans. It also includes recipes, product recommendations aaaaand…
💝 …over 400 weekly additive-free specials from Coles and Woolies.
The appeal
🥦 With a community of over 320k users, Supermarket Swap is both fuelled by and feeding a culture of discovery and discernment when it comes to food.
🥦 “Granola moms” (or #moderatelygranolamoms) are a powerful consumer force, deeply invested in their families’ wellbeing and hungry for ways to engage – and probably the biggest users of the app.
🥦 This consumer segment is interested in true value – the intersection of quality and price – and will happily spend more on premium/artisanal/speciality products with unique health features. Supermarket Swap deftly plays up to this curatorial passion with the ability to track specials and offers across stores, triggering granolamom stampedes between retailers.
The implications
🛒 Supermarket Swap can help niche products get noticed like never before without having to be physically discovered in store, thanks to in-app recommendations.
🛒 Sure it may generate bidding wars (who’s got it cheaper?) in an already competitive space, but it also offers a solid way for retailers to connect with new shoppers seeking exclusive products.
🛒 Independents can leverage existing relationships with artisans and makers who live and breathe “additive free”, and, if added to the app, will be on the map for hundreds of thousands of shoppers. Note: Anyone can pitch a product to Supermarket Swap via an icon on the homepage.
🛒 At the moment, it’s unclear how independent retailers can be part of the app which moves/shakes mainly with Coles, Woolies, Aldi and Costco BUT it has huge potential for indie groceries to access new (and very enthusiastic) markets if they can break in.
👉 Would you use an app like Supermarket Swap? If you’re a retailer, do you want to be part of it? And do you identify as a soft, medium or hardcore granola mom or dad?