Big not best with shoppers

AUSTRALIA’S big three supermarket chains have lost out to smaller grocers in the battle for customer satisfaction.

Coles, Woolworths and Aldi all finished behind local supermarket brands in the latest Choice supermarket satisfaction survey.

State brands Foodland (South Australia), Drakes (South Australia and Queensland), and Harris Farm (NSW) topped the big chain supermarkets for the most satisfied customers.

Aldi ranked the highest of the big three with 75 per cent, behind Foodland (82 per cent), Drakes (79 per cent) and Harris Farm (78 per cent).

Warehouse giant Costco came in equal fourth with 75 per cent, ahead of IGA (74 per cent), FoodWorks (72 per cent), Woolworths (71 per cent) and Coles (69 per cent).

Friendly Grocer rounded out the top 10 with a ranking of 67 per cent.

But Coles and Woolworths did improve from Choice’s previous survey and garnered praise for their online shopping experiences.

Choice consumer advocate Jonathan Brown said the survey found Australians had a lot of pride in local brands and food.

“The results are clear – Australians want to see a wide range to choose from and fresh, local food,” he said.

“It’s also great to see that all the major supermarket brands have largely improved since our last survey, despite all of the challenges of COVID-19.”

Choice surveyed shoppers during February and March with more than 3100 giving detailed feedback on 39 criteria either in-store or online.

Foodland, Drakes and Harris Farm Markets performed particularly well for their range of products and the availability of local foods, with shoppers keen to support their local producers.

Woolworths took the crown for online shopping over Coles, scoring 74 per cent for online shopping satisfaction compared to 71 per cent for Coles.