Last updated: 2026
Small Business Panel: For the Small Business category, we survey a targeted sample of Australian small business owners. For a business to qualify for participation, it must meet the following criteria:
The Canstar Most Satisfied Customers (MSC) Awards recognise the brands delivering the strongest satisfaction outcomes, based on the factors that matter most to customers. Unlike the Customer Satisfaction Star Ratings – which assess Overall Satisfaction directly – the MSC Awards focus on the drivers of satisfaction.
These Awards use results from a national survey of Australians who have recently used the relevant product or service. Respondents rate their experience across a set of key components (e.g. communication, ease, process, quality, speed and timeliness). These components are specific to each Award and are selected because they meaningfully influence the customer experience being measured.
To be considered for an MSC Award, a brand must have a product or service available to all consumer profiles relevant to the category and receive at least 30 valid survey responses.
Note: None of our Most Satisfied Customers Awards constitute financial advice and have not taken into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Canstar is not making a recommendation or giving advice about financial products. Always consider the product disclosure statement (PDS) before making any financial decision. For more information, read Canstar’s Privacy Policy.
The MSC Awards use a driver-based satisfaction model that identifies which components have the strongest influence on customer satisfaction and weights them accordingly.
Respondents rate their satisfaction across the key aspects of the experience. These scores form the foundation of the analysis.
A regression analysis is performed to determine how much each aspect contributes to overall satisfaction. Brands are then benchmarked on each aspect, with scores indexed against the top performer. The indexed scores are weighted according to their importance from the regression and combined to produce a total score for each brand.
The brand with the highest indexed score is awarded the Canstar Most Satisfied Customers Award for that category.
The brands that feature in our Most Satisfied Customers Awards are those that have been nominated by respondents in the market research, and which have received a minimum of 30 responses. The market research is designed to pick up as many brands per category as relevant. However, some brands may miss out due to low sample size – for example small local or niche brands where their market share is currently low.
Some Awards have additional eligibility criteria that brands must meet to be eligible for the Award:
Small Business Panel: For the Small Business category, we survey a targeted sample of Australian small business owners. For a business to qualify for participation, it must meet the following criteria:
The Canstar Customer Satisfaction Star Ratings are designed to help consumers make informed decisions by showing how satisfied real customers are with a brand. Ratings are presented on a five- to one-star scale, distributed according to overall satisfaction scores. A five-star rating represents the highest level of customer satisfaction, as determined by the calculation method outlined on this page.
It is important to note that the Consumer Star Ratings are based solely on consumer feedback. They are not recommendations from Canstar and do not take into account individual needs or personal circumstances.
Customer Satisfaction Star Ratings are informed by survey responses from Australians who meet the eligibility criteria to rate a brand. Eligibility requirements vary by category but generally require the respondent to be a current or recent customer.
Note: None of our Customer Satisfaction Star Ratings constitute financial advice and have not taken into account your objectives, financial situation, or needs. Canstar is not making a recommendation or giving advice about financial products. Always consider the product disclosure statement (PDS) before making any financial decision. For more information, read Canstar’s Privacy Policy.
The Canstar Customer Satisfaction Star Ratings are based on Overall Satisfaction, which reflects a respondent’s general experience with a brand. Note that ‘Overall Satisfaction’ is asked as a specific question and represents an individual measure, not a combined total of any other.
Individual survey responses are aggregated to calculate an average Overall Satisfaction score for each brand. The average satisfaction score for a brand is compared against the wider market to determine how each brand performs. Brands with the highest overall average satisfaction receive a 5-star rating.
The brands that feature in our Customer Satisfaction Star Ratings are those that have been nominated by respondents in the market research, and which have received a minimum threshold of responses. The market research is designed to pick up as many brands per category as relevant. However, some brands may miss out due to low sample size – for example small local or niche brands where their market share is currently low.
The criteria that are rated vary depending on the category. They typically include overall satisfaction and value for money, while other criteria are included as appropriate to the research subject. For example, customer satisfaction ratings for a retailer might include criteria such as service and range, while ratings for a refrigerator may include criteria such as reliability and quality.
The winner in each product or service category is the brand that receives the highest overall satisfaction rating once the scores from all respondents to the overall satisfaction question are combined and averaged.
If a clear leader still cannot be determined from the supporting criteria, joint winners will be declared. For each criterion, any brand that receives an average score of six out of 10 or higher receives at least three stars and any brand that scores lower than an average score of six out of 10 receives one or two stars.
Rating results are comparative and the ratings table is first sorted by overall satisfaction star ratings results, and then by mean overall satisfaction score. Note: previous years’ star ratings information can be found in the Past Research section at the end of each Customer Satisfaction Ratings page.
This methodology and the many others Canstar Blue uses to conduct it’s in-depth consumer research are managed by Canstar Blue’s in-house Research Team. They provide the expertise that powers our Star Ratings and Awards, designed to help Australian consumers make more informed purchasing decisions.
Meet the Research Team