HyVee is partnering with content/software provider Grocery Shopping Network to bring its e-commerce site and brick-and-mortar stores closer together. Customers can use HyVee's e-commerce site to find items at local stores and place them on a printable shopping list with store coupons before leaving home. They can also add items from a clickable store circular, link to manufacturer coupons, find recipes on a 64,000-recipe database, and obtain information about unadvertised in-store specials.

In addition, Hy-Vee plans to add educational online cooking videos, Retailer Daily reports.

Other retailers in the supermarket vertical are also providing customers with multichannel service offerings. Safeway supermarket banners including Tom Thumb and Randalls participate in the Cellfire mobile coupon network, allowing members of the two chains' loyalty club programs to automatically download coupons on their loyalty cards.

Meanwhile, specialty grocery retailer Whole Foods Market is joining the growing trend of retailers launching iPhone applications to drive sales and customer loyalty. Whole Foods' new iPhone application features recipes as well as a store finder.

The application makes Whole Foods' entire selection of more than 2,000 recipes recipes to iPhone and iPod touch users. And supermarket retailer Supervalu accompanied the recent launch of its Stockman & Dakota line of premium private-label beef with a dedicated web site that includes features such as instructional videos and nutritional and preparation.

Independent research supports Hy-Vee’s decision to offer customers online coupons. A 2008 study (pdf) by Coupons, Inc. and Simmons Market Research indicates that the number of Americans using online coupons grew from 26 million in 2005 to 36 million in 2008, with almost half of those users ages 22-44.

In addition, a study (pdf) from Scarborough Research corroborated those findings, revealing that between 2005 and 2008, internet coupon usage increased 83%, with 11% of U.S. households taking advantage of them.