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Lidl Plus: Why the Consumer Advice Center is warning about supermarket apps

inside digital

According to the Google Play Store, the Lidl Plus app has been downloaded more than 100 million times. No surprise – Lidl advertises “exclusive price advantages,” discounts and coupons for everyone who uses it. But consumer protection organizations are issuing a warning – about Lidl Plus and other supermarket apps.

Discounts, digital flyers and loyalty programs: supermarket apps from Lidl, Aldi, Kaufland, Netto, Rewe and others have become extremely popular. Almost three quarters (72 percent) of smartphone users in Germany have at least one grocery retailer app installed on their phone. This is the result of a survey conducted by Bitkom.

But Lidl Plus and similar apps offer more than just discounts. They also include prize draws, store information such as opening hours and store locations, shopping lists, recipe suggestions and integrated payment features. However, users should take the marketing promises made by the providers with a critical eye, warns the Consumer Advice Center. Aldi, Lidl and others are interested in much more than simply delivering bargains to customers’ smartphones.

Supermarket apps as a data trap: 78% use them – but the savings are minimal

Frankfurter Rundschau

Supermarket apps promise discounts, but the savings are minimal. Regulation is urgently needed. The “Gastwirtschaft” column by Christiane Seidel.

At first glance, supermarket apps seem like a win for everyone: a few clicks, a few digital coupons – and you save money at the checkout. In reality, however, these apps are designed to bind consumers even more closely to specific retailers and, in some cases, encourage them to spend more money.

A recent survey commissioned by the German Consumer Federation shows that almost eight out of ten respondents (78 percent) now use supermarket apps. Of those users, two thirds said they have made additional purchases at least once in order to receive discounts or benefits through the app. According to the price comparison platform smhaggle, the actual savings from supermarket apps amount to, on average, no more than just two percent.

These are the tricks behind deceptive packaging in the grocery aisle

Wiesbadener Kurier

Price manipulation and deceptive practices on supermarket shelves are increasing in Germany. In some other EU countries, they are not. And that’s no coincidence.

Supermarket apps

ARD

Bayern 1

Do we buy more with them? How much do we actually save?

Supermarket apps lure customers with special offers – and we pay with our data.
What data do retail chains use? Does using these apps change our shopping behavior? Do we buy more – and differently? And how much do we really save with these apps?

Do we shop differently when we use a retailer’s shopping app?

Whether it’s the Lidl Plus app, the Kaufland app, or the REWE app – all major retail chains offer free shopping apps. A very large number of customers use these supermarket apps. In a survey conducted by the German Consumer Advice Center, 78 percent of the 1,000 respondents said they use such apps.

And many people end up putting more items in their cart because of these shopping apps than what was originally on their shopping list: Two thirds of respondents said they had made additional purchases over the past two years in order to qualify for discounts or benefits offered through the app.

Are Aldi and Lidl really cheaper than supermarkets?

agrarzeitung

Customers in Germany can choose whether to shop at a discount store or at a traditional supermarket. How big are the differences? And what are the advantages of each format?

Whether it’s butter, coffee, orange juice, or sausage – discounters Aldi and Lidl are currently locked in an especially intense price battle. Sometimes one cuts prices first, sometimes the other follows. Just a few days ago, Lidl undercut a chocolate price reduction that its rival had announced shortly before.

Prices matter to customers more than they have in a long time. This is also shown by a survey conducted by the retail research institute IFH Cologne: more than 70 percent of shoppers compare prices more closely when buying groceries and turn to special offers more often.

The pressure on Aldi and Lidl is particularly high. After all, “discount” is a promise. Aldi is considered the inventor of the discount concept and the long-standing price leader – an image rather than an officially awarded title. Challenger Lidl is now questioning that claim. “Your No. 1. The price leader is worth it,” the retailer advertises.

But who is really cheaper? And does it actually make a noticeable difference for customers where they shop? An overview.

Price analysis reveals a surprise: Are discounters really cheaper than supermarkets?

inFranken

Germans are becoming increasingly price-conscious – which raises the question of where you can actually shop most cheaply. A recent survey comes to a surprising conclusion.

Whether it’s sausage, juice, milk or yogurt, discounters Aldi and Lidl are currently locked in a particularly fierce price battle. Sometimes one cuts prices first, sometimes the other follows suit. Just a few days ago, Lidl undercut a price reduction for chocolate products that its rival had announced shortly before.

Prices matter to shoppers more than ever. This is also reflected in a survey by the retail research institute IFH Cologne: well over 70 percent of consumers compare prices more closely when buying groceries and are more likely to choose special offers. The pressure is especially high for Aldi and Lidl. After all, “discount” is a promise. Aldi is considered the inventor of the discount concept and the long-standing price leader – an image rather than an officially awarded title. Challenger Lidl is calling that claim into question. “Your No. 1. The price leader pays off,” the retailer advertises.

But who is actually cheaper? And does it really make a noticeable difference for customers where they shop?

Prices at Discounters vs. Supermarkets

ARD

BR 3

Are discounters really cheaper than supermarkets?

For years, discounters have advertised one simple promise: we’re the cheapest. But is that actually true? The price comparison app Smhaggle compared prices at Aldi, Lidl, Rewe, Edeka and other major retailers – and the results may surprise some shoppers.

Grocery shopping has become increasingly expensive. That’s why many people now think carefully about where they buy their food. But is there really one cheapest retailer?

On behalf of the German Press Agency (dpa), the comparison app Smhaggle analyzed around 2,000 products that are available at every major discounter and supermarket. The study covered both private-label products and branded items.

Where does the app get its price data from? Smhaggle users upload around 10,000 receipts every day, providing up-to-date price information from across Germany.

Lidl customers are stunned – the discounter breaks its low-price promise

DER WESTEN

Lidl promised a “historic” and permanent price cut in 2025. Is that already a thing of the past?

Lidl’s promise to lower prices has been the subject of ongoing debate. In the summer of 2025, the discounter announced that it would cut prices on 500 products – “historically” and permanently. For price-conscious shoppers, that sounded like a dream come true. But the reality now looks different, according to an analysis by the price comparison service Smhaggle.

Supermarket test shows: The biggest advantage of discounters like Aldi and Lidl is disappearing

GIGA

Supermarkets like Rewe and Edeka have quietly taken away the discounters’ biggest advantage.

Anyone looking to save money on groceries often heads straight to a discounter. However, a recent analysis by the shopping app Smhaggle now shows that this advantage hardly exists anymore for many products. The result is clear: whether it’s milk, pasta, or butter, prices are almost identical across all retailers.

Discounters vs. supermarkets: price differences? Hardly any.

For the analysis, prices of around 2,000 comparable core assortment items were evaluated across all major retailers. Promotional offers were not included (source:  tagesschau).

Grocery prices

Aachener Zeitung

More cocoa harvested: chocolate is becoming cheaper in some cases

Because prices have risen so sharply, many people are eating less chocolate. Now, however, signs of relief are emerging.

Good news for chocolate lovers: because more cocoa has been harvested, prices in stores are beginning to ease again – at least in some cases. “Harvests in Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana were significantly higher, export volumes increased, and purchase prices have fallen accordingly,” says Finn Ole Semrau, a trade expert at the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.

Major German grocery retailers have recently reduced the shelf prices of many private-label products for the first time in a long while. For example, a bar of milk chocolate now costs 89 cents, and a bar with whole hazelnuts costs €1.29 – both 10 cents less than before. Other products have also become cheaper.