Where we’ve been, can tell us a lot about where we’re headed. Yesterday was all about looking back at the most important news stories of the past year that have affected coupon users and coupon professionals. Today, it’s time to look ahead to what will be making news in the year to come.
There will always be surprises, and no one can predict with any certainty exactly where we’re headed. But this past year offered some clues about what to watch out for in the year ahead. So here’s some of what could impact your couponing in 2025:
The universal coupon becomes more universal
Have you ever gone couponing at the Osceola Food Mart in Nebraska? The Radish & Rye Food Hub in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania? Or Lagree’s Food Stores in Colorado?
No to all of the above? Well, how about at CVS?
Those little-known grocery stores were among a handful that have been testing out universal coupons ahead of a much-anticipated, long-awaited widespread launch. And in 2025, that widespread launch effectively arrives.
That’s when CVS plans to officially announce that it has become the first national retailer to accept this brand-new type of coupon, now available as mobile coupons in the Coupon24 app. Over time, the idea is for these coupons to start showing up in other apps, on manufacturer’s websites, embedded in ads and store signage, and more. And over time, the hope is that everyone will join the effort to offer and accept them, so you’ll be able to use universal coupons anywhere coupons are accepted.
Unofficially, if you’re the early-adopter type, you can go into your local CVS today and become one of the very first to use a universal coupon. Officially, look for a more formal announcement from CVS in January. After that, backers of the universal coupon hope 2025 will be the year that this unconventional coupon finally goes mainstream.
De-escalating the digital discrimination debate
Stop & Shop expects to complete the rollout of in-store coupon kiosks to all of its Northeastern locations in early 2025, to help make digital discounts more accessible to those who lack digital access or know-how.
Could that help quiet the debate over digital discrimination in the year ahead?
Stop & Shop’s move comes as several states have been considering legislation that would do everything from requiring paper versions of all digital coupons, to mandating that stores apply all available digital coupons to all shoppers’ orders, automatically. The idea is to make saving money fairer to those who lack digital access or know-how.
But there’s been little movement on any of the bills since they were introduced, and if there’s going to be, the lawmakers had better act fast – most of their current legislative sessions end in January, while others are already over.
Members of San Diego’s City Council tried to jump on the bandwagon by holding a news conference back in October to announce that they would soon introduce legislation of their own to address digital-only grocery deals. Announcing that you plan to do something, and actually doing it, are two different things, though, as San Diegans are still waiting to see that proposed legislation.
With Stop & Shop just the latest grocery chain to show it’s addressing the issue – others have installed their own kiosks, or have implemented policies to apply digital coupons upon request – 2025 could prove to be the year that retailers aim to show they’ve solved the problem themselves, so lawmakers don’t have to force them to.
Kroger and Albertsons battle for your business – while battling each other
Kroger pledged that 2025 would be the year it offered a billion dollars’ worth of lower grocery prices, after its merger with Albertsons went through.
Instead, the deal has fallen apart. So if you want to enjoy a billion dollars’ worth of grocery savings in the year to come, you’d better get busy clipping a billion dollars’ worth of coupons.
Now, the two grocers who had hoped to spend 2025 jointly battling the likes of Walmart and Amazon will instead be battling each other in court, after Albertsons sued Kroger for failing to earn regulatory approval for the deal and botching the whole thing.
Albertsons, meanwhile, has suggested it’s open to another deal with someone else. So after a messy breakup, we’ll see whether 2025 is the year Albertsons picks up another suitor on the rebound.
ALDI is everywhere
There are more ALDI stores in Florida than anywhere else in the country. In 2025, there will be even more.
According to the latest tally kept by the website My Florida Retail, a total of 84 former Winn-Dixie and Harveys stores have closed, or are expected to soon, and will reopen as ALDI stores in the new year.
ALDI closed on its acquisition of the stores earlier this year, and immediately announced that “a significant number” of them would be converted to ALDI. The effort, an ALDI spokesperson explained, “brings us one step closer to our goal to add 800 stores nationwide by the end of 2028 in response to customer demand for ALDI stores in their communities.”
You don’t need coupons to save money at ALDI. And soon, you won’t have to travel far to find one, either.
Coupons are cool again
For the past year, coupon use has been on the upswing, after many years of declines. In the new year, we’ll find out if that trend is continuing.
With inflation-weary shoppers becoming more interested in coupons, and marketers pledging to offer more of them, it’s a good bet that coupons’ upward trend is likely to continue in 2025.
We may never return to the heights – or the depths – of the Extreme Couponing era. But for those who like to save money without going to extremes, it’s good to know that coupons are cool again.
And the best way to save money is to stay informed. As we head into another new year, remember that Coupons in the News will be here for you in 2025 to keep you up to date on all the coupon news you need to know. So happy New Year, and happy couponing!
Image source: BoliviaInteligente on Unsplash
