Tuesdata: How the supermarkets stack up in a cost of living crisis

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Did you know that we are in the midst of a cost of living crisis? It’s been hard to avoid the media headlines around the current economic environment.

When it comes to the general population, there are few areas where a cost of living crisis will hit general consumers more than groceries. 

According to a recent report from Canstar Blue, the average Australian household spends $152 per week on groceries. That differs from state to state, of course, with Tasmanians (sorry Tim Burrowes) paying the most at $160 per week and Western Australians paying the least, at $143. 

Residents of the most heavily populated state, NSW, sit somewhere in the middle at $151 per week on average. 

A recent UBS analysis revealed that in the last three months from June, the price of groceries had risen 5.3 percent at Coles and Woolworths. The report suggested that rises will continue as the year progresses. 

And if the Canstar Blue statistics are correct, don’t look to Aldi for relief. The average weekly grocery bill of an Aldi shopper was the highest, at $157, ahead of Coles, Woolworths and IGA, the latter somewhat surprisingly coming out with the lowest average. 

Despite this, the supermarkets have come up as winners in the trust stakes. Recent Roy Morgan research placed Coles, Woolworths and Aldi all in the top five most trusted brands in Australia. 

This week we’ll be looking at satisfaction levels amongst the main supermarket players - Coles, Woolworths, IGA and Aldi, based on data from the YouGov BrandIndex. We will also compare that year on year and take a look at the marketing strategies that have been put into play over the last year.

A brand can technically score as high as 100, although a good score is generally anything in positive territory, with some brands (not on this list) falling into negative territory. The YouGov data backs up the trust data with all supermarket brands well into positive territory.

Like the average weekly cost at the different supermarkets above however, the results are somewhat surprising. Savings don’t always equal satisfaction.