ALDI Australia has today (Tuesday) released the findings of its Grocery Wallet research, uncovering the impact of factors like freshness, price and convenience on supermarket spending and loyalty. 

Conducted by Galaxy, the research found nine in 10 shoppers would switch supermarkets to save money on their grocery bill. On average, survey respondents said that a 38% saving would compel them to change where they buy their groceries, while 14% would switch to save any amount.

Nine in 10 Australian shoppers say they would switch supermarkets to save money on their grocery bill, according to new research conducted by Galaxy for ALDI Australia. On average, survey respondents said that a 38% saving would compel them to change where they buy their groceries, while 14% would switch to save any amount.

These are some of the findings of ALDI’s Grocery Wallet Research, uncovering the latest influences on Australians’ grocery buying habits. The Research surveyed more than 1,000 main grocery buyers across Australia to investigate the impact of factors like freshness, price and convenience on supermarket spending and loyalty.

“At ALDI, our priority has always been to provide shoppers with high-quality groceries at permanently low prices. Our research shows that now more than ever, people are conscious of how and where they are spending their dollars – and this is having a significant impact on supermarket loyalty,” an ALDI Australia spokesperson said.

Unsurprisingly, the highest number of main grocery buyers nominated the price of groceries as the reason they would become a return shopper (27%), compared to other factors like convenience (14%). 

It’s not just prices that are shaking up the supermarket sector, with freshness and country of origin also influencing supermarket loyalty. 

One in five (22%) shoppers said they would switch supermarkets if they knew they could get fresher products elsewhere, while nine in ten (89%) want to allocate more of their weekly spend to fresh food*  – on average 22.1% of their budget or $32.90 per week. The cost of items was central to this decision, with 51% of people agreeing they would buy more if they knew they were getting the best price. 

The most motivating buying decision that divided generations was whether products were Australian Made. Among all respondents, Baby Boomers were more likely to rank Australian made products as very important to them (59%), compared to 41% of Gen X and 36% of Gen Y shoppers. Women also felt more strongly about their store supporting Australian products, at 50% compared to 38% of men.

“ALDI understands the growing preference for locally made products, which is why we focus on working with local suppliers to provide high-quality products for our shoppers,” an ALDI Australia spokesperson said.

“Independent audits have confirmed that 91% of ALDI’s fresh fruit and vegetables are Australian grown, while 100% of our fresh meat, eggs and bread are Australian Made, and we know this is important to our customers.”

The research showed that on average, main grocery buyers are spending $145.70 on their weekly shop. Single person households spend $93.70, two-person households $134.60 and $184.20 is spent in households of three or more people. 

*Fresh food includes meat, dairy, eggs, bread, fruit and vegetables

ALDI Australia commissioned Galaxy Research to survey a nationally representative sample of 1,001 Australian main grocery buyers during the month of July 2015.