Aussies have rated ALDI as a repeat winner in Canstar Blue’s latest supermarket ratings, with the brand rated five stars for value for money, layout & presentation of store, freshness of produce, quality of supermarket-owned branded products, deals & specials available and overall satisfaction.
Our review compares supermarkets on customer satisfaction, so you can find out what other Aussies think about the compared brands before you go ahead with a purchase. Think of it as like asking hundreds of your closest mates which supermarket they think is best!
Canstar Blue surveyed 2,770 Australians for their feedback on the supermarket(s) they’ve purchased from in the last month.
The winning brand is the one that receives the highest Overall satisfaction rating once all the scores from the Overall satisfaction criteria are combined and averaged.
Brands must have received at least 30 responses to be included, so not all brands available in the market have been compared in this survey. The brands rated in this survey are listed below in order of best overall satisfaction.
Find more detailed information on our Most Satisfied Customer methodology.
ALDI was rated five stars for value for money, layout & presentation of store, freshness of produce, quality of supermarket-owned branded products, deals & specials available and overall satisfaction, with four stars for customer service, and three stars for variety of products.
German grocery giant ALDI first came to Australia back in 2001, with the brand today synonymous with bargains thanks to its Special Buys shops, where shoppers can virtually buy anything from snow gear to lawnmowers and seemingly everything in between. While ALDI doesn’t have the same number of stores as Coles and Woolworths, it stocks fewer products at arguably cheaper prices to help those who know what they’re after save a few dollars at the checkout. Interestingly, ALDI doesn’t have a loyalty or rewards program, instead intending to focus on price points on products, as well as no online shopping functionality, instead giving shoppers the full brick and mortar experience for their grocery shop.
Woolworths was rated five stars for variety of products and layout & presentation of store, with four stars for value for money, customer service, freshness of produce, quality of supermarket-owned branded products, deals & specials available and overall satisfaction.
Often referred to as ‘Woolies’, Woolworths has around 1,000 locations around Australia, with its parent company – Woolworths Group Limited – also the parent company to Dan Murphy’s and Big W, in addition to a number of other smaller businesses. Similar to main rival Coles, the ‘Fresh Food People’ at Woolworths have also ventured into the online market, offering an online grocery experience for time-pressed shoppers, as well as offering the Click & Collect pickup or home delivery service. Select stores also include bakeries and even sushi outlets for when you need a meal on the go, with Woolworths also offering the Everyday Rewards loyalty program to help you get a discount on your shop, with its Woolworths Mobile also helping to take some money off the docket if you’re a customer.
Coles was rated four stars for value for money, variety of products, layout & presentation of store, quality of supermarket-owned branded products, deals & specials available and overall satisfaction, with three stars for freshness of produce and customer service.
One of Australia’s two biggest supermarket chains, Coles now stands as a publicly listed company on the Australian Stock Exchange, having previously been owned by the Wesfarmers Group, which now holds a 15% share in the business. Coles has more than 800 stores across Australia, meaning you’ll likely come across one on your travels. In addition to physical stores, Coles also offers online grocery shopping with the choice of Click & Collect or home delivery, ideal for when you’re run off your feet. Coles also offers Flybuys points to earn via your shop, with special promotions regularly available to help you score additional points, which can be used on grocery shops or other purchases.
IGA was rated five stars for customer service, and three stars in all remaining categories, including value for money, variety of products, layout & presentation of store, freshness of produce, quality of supermarket-owned branded products, deals & specials available and overall satisfaction.
The Independent Grocers of Australia works by utilising group purchasing and marketing, while store management and ownership stay independent. More and more solo shops are joining the IGA name, which currently has more than 1,400 locations across Australia, from small corner shops to sprawling supermarkets. Many IGA shops also carry more local brands, speciality products, or imports for some variety in your usual supermarket stock, with IGA also offering the IGA Rewards program for those after exclusive member offers or discounts.
Not all brands in the market qualify for our ratings (based on minimum survey sample size), but that doesn’t mean they’re not worth considering. Here are several more brands to check out before making a purchase decision.
With plenty of options available when it comes to getting your grocery shopping done, sticking to the same supermarket chain may have its perks. Our recent survey shows a quarter of Aussies (25%) do all their shopping with the same supermarket chain. Here are the top reasons they mentioned for their supermarket loyalty:
Fewer Aussies also said they could save money by shopping elsewhere with only 9% switching to a different supermarket within the last year. These are the main reasons why some shoppers made the change:
With the supermarkets introducing their own products into almost every aisle, the grocery shop often becomes a choice between supermarket-owned and branded products. Almost half of survey respondents (48%) think supermarket private label products are good quality, while 33% said they tend to buy supermarket-owned brands rather than big brands.
While supermarket chains attempt to equal out the playing field with tactics like miniature toys and limited-time special deals, only 17% of respondents said the costs of basics such as milk and bread determined where they shop. It also seems customers are still showing a fair amount of willpower in supermarket aisles, with 28% admitting to making impulse purchases.
Our latest survey also shows the average grocery shop cost is around $160, slightly above last year’s results of $152. However, 31% of survey respondents have switched to supermarket-owned brands to reduce their grocery bill due to the rising cost of living, with 36% stating that they have started splitting their grocery shopping between supermarkets to maximise savings.
Waiting for the supermarket to open can be a struggle, as can rushing to get there before it closes. While most supermarkets will have standard operating hours in each state and territory, it’s best to always look at what hours they operate in, and which day it is to avoid any heartbreak. Knowing whether your local is open during a public holiday will also come in handy, with Canstar Blue offering guides on opening hours for Easter and supermarket opening hours for Christmas and New Year’s.
This report was written by Canstar Blue’s Site Editor, Dean Heckscher. He’s our resident expert on all things automotive, health & fitness, streaming and more. Dean is also one of Canstar Blue’s customer research report producers, helping to turn complicated subjects into easily-digestible information for our readers. He’s passionate about helping consumers make better-informed purchase decisions on all manner of consumer goods and services.
Samantha Howse is Canstar Blue’s Consumer Research Specialist, coordinating the consumer research program behind our customer satisfaction awards across Canstar and Canstar Blue in Australia and New Zealand. Sam has earned a Bachelor of Business (Marketing) from Griffith University and, with seven years in market research and 2 years in marketing, she is experienced in survey design, implementation and analysis, coupled with an understanding of marketing principles and best practice.
Here are the past winners from Canstar Blue’s supermarket ratings:
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Best-Rated Chewing Gum - June 3rd
Woolworths will stop selling its 15-cent reusable plastic shopping bags nationwide over the next year. It’s the first supermarket to pledge to remove all plastic shopping bags for good.
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Best-Rated Baked Beans - May 3rd
Did you know there’s a much faster way to shop and get through checkout queues at Woolworths?
The Woolies app has a little-known DIY feature − Scan&Go − that allows shoppers to scan grocery barcodes on …
Best-Rated Block Cheese - October 14th
Put those tasteless celery sticks away! We know that choosing snacks to keep hunger pangs AND that extra bulge at bay can be hard, especially if you’re short on time or just looking for a …
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