North Carolina-based grocery chain Food Lion has integrated with the Ibotta mobile application to let consumers earn cash rewards for completing tasks such as reading a recipe.

When a consumer earns rewards in the app, they will applied to his or her MVP Card to redeem in-store. Consumers that register by Nov. 9 will automatically be entered in a sweepstakes to win a $5,000 vacation to Orlando, FL.

“At Food Lion, we’re focused on making grocery shopping easy and affordable for our customers,” said Keith Nicks, director of digital, customer loyalty and retail marketing for Food Lion, Salisbury, NC.

“From data that we have, we can tell that the majority of our customers are interacting with us through mobile, so we’re giving our customers mobile tools to make their shopping experience easier,” he said. “Also, the Ibotta app was one of the most highly requested items from our customers on social media.”

Food Lion has 1,100 stores across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.

Mobile rewards
Consumers can earn rewards for completing tasks as well as for purchasing featured items on the Ibotta app.

For example, a user can earn 25 cents by watching a video about CLR Cleaners or by posting about it on Facebook.

Once consumers download the Ibotta app, they can connect their Food Lion MVP card by clicking on the menu button in the top left corner and selecting redeem. Then they can choose Food Lion and either enter their MVP information or scan their card.

Consumers can also transfer rewards to a PayPal account for easy transactions.

New Ibotta users can get $10 by redeeming five offers within their first two weeks of registering.

Food Lion is also driving the mobile rewards program by entering new users into a sweepstakes for a chance to win a $5,000 “Magical family getaway” to Orlando. Consumers are automatically entered when they connect their MVP card in Ibotta.

Consumers can earn additional entries by redeeming more offers at Food Lion.

According to Food Lion, Ibotta users have collectively earned more than $3.7 million.

Ibotta users can also earn rewards for other stores such as Target, Walmart, Whole Foods and Safeway. According to the company, the Ibotta app has more than 1.7 million registered users.

Digital flyers
Food Lion has also moved its traditional flyers online with the help of Wishabi.

The digital flyer lets consumers browse by discount and category as well as circle their selections. It also creates a digital shopping list which can be printed or emailed.

“At Food Lion, we’re making a variety of digital improvements, and mobile is a key channel where these improvements are focused,” Mr. Nicks said.

“Our customers are telling us that mobile is important to them, so we’re listening and providing them with mobile options to make their grocery shopping easier and help them save more online,” he said.

Final Take
Rebecca Borison is editorial assistant on Mobile Commerce Daily, New York