Aisle50

Aisle50 emerged as a platform designed to bridge the gap between online discounts and in-store grocery shopping, founded in 2010 by Christopher Steiner and Riley Scott. The company participated in the Summer 2011 class of the Y Combinator accelerator program, a pivotal step that provided structure and direction. Steiner, a former Forbes staff writer and author, and Scott, who had a background in corporate strategy at SAP, combined their expertise to address the consumer packaged goods (CPG) market. Their business model centered on selling digital offers from CPG companies directly to consumers, who would pay for the deals online and then redeem them at participating brick-and-mortar grocery stores using their loyalty cards or phone numbers.

This approach created a symbiotic relationship: CPG brands secured a guaranteed sale, retailers experienced increased foot traffic and larger basket sizes, and consumers received significant discounts. Aisle50 reported that shoppers redeeming its offers had an average shopping cart value 31% higher than typical transactions. The service functioned by integrating directly with retailer point-of-sale systems, enabling a seamless experience for the customer at checkout. In April 2013, the company enhanced its service by launching a subscription program that automatically loaded discounts onto a user's loyalty card at regular intervals.

Aisle50 secured a $2.6 million Series A funding round in August 2013, led by Origin Ventures with participation from August Capital, which fueled its expansion. By that time, it had partnered with grocery chains such as Lowe's Foods, Homeland Stores, and Shop 'n Save. The company's journey culminated in its acquisition by Groupon in February 2015 for an undisclosed amount, marking a successful exit for the founders and investors. Keywords: CPG marketing, digital coupons, grocery promotions, retail technology, loyalty card integration, online to offline commerce, shopper marketing, Y Combinator alumni, grocery subscription, POS integration, customer loyalty, retail analytics, digital offers, basket size increase, brand engagement, in-store redemption, consumer packaged goods, e-commerce grocery, mobile coupons, prepaid grocery deals