Merryfield's Learn & Earn™ Program is Coming to Fresh Thyme Market™

Fresh Thyme Market has partnered with Merryfield's Learn & Earn program, a pioneering solution that combines in-store consumer education with the power of digital incentives.

BOSTON, March 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Merryfield PBC today announced that Fresh Thyme Market will be the first retailer to adopt the Learn & Earn program powered by Merryfield Rewards, which leverages Cornerstone's Smart Shelf Tag™ technology to increase in-store consumer engagement and influence point-of-purchase decisions through in-aisle branded digital content and exclusive incentives and rewards unlocked with any smartphone. Fresh Thyme Market shoppers will begin seeing these specialized tags this spring across its 71 stores in 10 states.

"We're thrilled that Fresh Thyme Market has chosen Learn & Earn to engage and educate their in-store shoppers," said David Mayer, Founder and CEO of Merryfield. "Fresh Thyme Market™ has been a leader in adopting Smart Shelf Tags and now by implementing Learn & Earn™, they're demonstrating a commitment to helping shoppers make more informed buying decisions in-store while enabling brands to provide digital content and exclusive offers."

As a Learn & Earn participating retailer, Fresh Thyme Market will have Learn & Earn in-store signage and QR codes displayed at-shelf for participating brands. Scanning QR codes with any smartphone camera immediately reveals product information, educational content, and now through the Merryfield app, shoppers can unlock new exclusive incentives and money-saving offers to encourage them to buy that product on that shopping trip. Merryfield first announced its new Learn & Earn program in December, 2022. Learn & Earn is easy for retailers to adopt and implement and designed to be complementary and incremental to other existing in-store engagement and promotional programs.

"Consumers today have a lot of options on how they choose to shop and where. Our Fresh Thyme Market team is always looking for ways to help elevate our shoppers' in-store experience with differentiating new programs, engaging digital in-store experiences and additional savings opportunities. The Merryfield Learn & Earn program is a great step in that direction," said Art Scott, Senior Director, Marketing at Fresh Thyme Market. 

Standing out at the shelf continues to be a struggle for CPG brands. Many brands have compelling stories to tell and need innovative ways to help educate consumers on the unique attributes of their products. CPG brands participating in Learn & Earn at Fresh Thyme will set themselves apart with Merryfield Learn & Earn branded QR codes. When scanned by a smartphone, rich and exciting digital content such as videos, web content, images, product ingredients and nutritional attributes are displayed to engage and educate in-store shoppers. Consumers value information while shopping and have shown they will remain more loyal to brands that provide greater transparency. 

"We first added Smart Shelf Tags with its enhanced QR codes to help our shoppers make better informed buying decisions in-store while allowing our supplier partners to provide digital content to best present their products to our shoppers," said Jonathan Lawrence, Vice President, Center of Store at Fresh Thyme Market. "Through Learn & Earn, we're now able to pair digital in-store education with exclusive at-shelf digital promotion tools and a new consumer facing program promoting healthier choices and making wellness more accessible to more people."

Because Learn & Earn is facilitated through the Merryfield Rewards Network, CPG brands participating in Learn & Earn at Fresh Thyme Market will have exclusive access to a growing suite of consumer activation and insights solutions. This real-time holistic view of consumer purchases offers CPG brand partners unprecedented visibility into consumer preferences and decision-making in the store.

"Merryfield's partnership with Fresh Thyme goes beyond in-store education and incentives," said Mayer. "Our Merryfield team wants to make it easier for people to know which brands and products are right for them and their families. We're enabling people to discover healthier options with less work while connecting them to incremental savings. Our team saw the same kinds of values, beliefs, and intentions for consumers with the Fresh Thyme Market team — it's about the people. We couldn't be more fired up to bring Learn & Earn to the Fresh Thyme Market shopper community."

In preparation for Learn & Earn's roll-out in stores later this year, the Fresh Thyme team will reach out to its suppliers throughout the store with additional program details and information for supplier enrollment and pre-launch pricing for the Learn & Earn program. Learn & Earn participation is open to all natural and conventional products and brands throughout the store. 

To learn more about Merryfield's Learn and Earn™ program, visit https://partners.merryfield.com/learn-and-earn. You can download the free Merryfield Rewards app at the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.

About Merryfield
Merryfield, a privately-held Public Benefit Corporation (PBC) based in Boston, is a trusted authority, consumer app, customer activation and insights solutions partner for brands and retailers. Consumers simply submit receipts, paper or digital, and earn rewards at least 5% back all brands featured in the app. Merryfield participating better-for-you brands include Stonyfield Organic, Applegate, Health-Ade, Primal Kitchen, Vital Farms, Bob's Red Mill and thousands of other items carried at any retailer. With its new Learn & Earn in-store program, powered through a partnership with Cornerstone for Natural's Smart Shelf Tags, Merryfield supports brands and retailers by impacting consumers' point-of-purchase decisions in-store. Merryfield was named a finalist in the Corporate Social Responsibility Category of Fast Company's 2022 World Changing Ideas Awards. Merryfield is available for free at the App Store and Google Play Store.

Contact:
Sandrine Mangia Park/ Merryfield
[email protected]

About Cornerstone
Cornerstone for Natural (www.CornerstoneForNatural.com), a division of Cornerstone Consulting, Inc., is a leading business management software (BWS) and enterprise resource management (ERP) software provider. Their ELI Code Technology helps its clients communicate rich product content easily and accurately and their modular Business Management Software systems help their clients be more efficient, productive, and profitable by connecting, integrating, tracking, and reporting on all aspects of their business operations.

Contact:
Dave Boos/ Cornerstone
[email protected]

About Fresh Thyme Market™
Fresh Thyme Market, a local, community-focused grocer with 71 stores in 10 states throughout the Midwest, was born from a genuine desire to help people live better and healthier lives. Every day Fresh Thyme Market works to be a trusted resource in our communities, bringing people access to real food at real affordable prices. With a local focus on what the community needs, each store provides fresh, natural, and organic food at affordable prices. By offering an immersive, intuitive shopping experience, Fresh Thyme Market meets people wherever they are on their journey to living a healthier lifestyle. To learn more, visit freshthyme.com 

Contact:
Meghan Sedivy/ Fresh Thyme Market
[email protected]

SOURCE Merryfield