The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) conducted a review of 50,000 loyalty priced products and found that 92% of them offered genuine savings compared to the usual price, contradicting the perception that 'usual' prices are inflated to make loyalty deals more attractive.

The CMA's investigation aimed to address concerns about the trustworthiness of loyalty pricing, its comparison to prices at other supermarkets, and its accessibility. The study included a consumer survey to gauge public opinion on loyalty pricing and supermarkets' behavior, including data usage.

The findings revealed that while most loyalty prices are cheaper, it's not always the case, emphasizing the importance of shopping around. On average, shoppers can save 17-25% on loyalty priced products at supermarkets like Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Co-op, and Morrisons.

Despite concerns about inflated prices for non-members during loyalty promotions and fairness in pricing, the CMA found that only 7% of surveyed individuals refrained from joining loyalty schemes due to data privacy concerns.

The CMA noted that supermarkets could improve access to loyalty schemes for certain demographics, such as those without smartphones or the elderly, by introducing offline sign-up options and lowering the minimum age for membership.