German supermarket giant Aldi has again beaten Coles and Woolworths to claim the title of Australia’s favourite supermarket, showing how households are voting with their wallets.

Survey firm Roy Morgan declared the discount chain the winner of its customer satisfaction awards for the fourth straight year on Friday, with an average shopper score of 95 per cent.

It managed to top the supermarket duopoly in the eyes of Australians amid rancorous criticism of the major chains over the past year as grocery prices have soared and squeezed families.

Aldi has managed to avoid much of that furore; positioning itself as a lower-priced alternative to Coles and Woolworths and winning over customers gradually by increasing its product range.

The supermarket’s group director Simon Padovani-Ginies called the strategy “good different”.

“It is great to receive this recognition and see that our Good Different offering, which focuses on fresh, great value and high-quality products, continues to resonate with Aussie shoppers,” he said on Friday.

Myer, Amazon win

Department store Myer won its category, beating rival David Jones. It is the latest sign of a turnaround by Myer that has excited consumers.

Myer has undergone a huge rebound in revenue and profits since COVID-19 after revamping its range and refining its store portfolio – moves that coincided with rising consumer satisfaction.

But the department store and most other major retailers in Australia have reason to be worried, because as TND reported earlier this week e-commerce giant Amazon is growing rapidly.

Roy Morgan declared the US-headquartered company the inaugural online retailer of the year on Friday, with chief executive Michele Levine suggesting the race wasn’t even a close contest.

“Could it really be anyone else?” Levine said of Amazon, which is projecting $5.5 billion in annual revenue next year amid plans to invest almost half a billion dollars into new fulfillment centres.

Kmart toppled

Dominant retailers like Bunnings, Chemist Warehouse, JB Hi-Fi and The Reject Shop kept the top spot in their categories in this year’s awards.

But in a surprise move among discount department stores, Woolworths-owned BIG W has beaten its rival Kmart in the consumer satisfaction stakes.

It’s a remarkable result because Kmart has enjoyed cult status among shoppers in recent years while Big W has become somewhat of a problem child for Woolworths, posting huge losses.

A turnaround effort has been underway though, with the department store looking to emulate much of what has made Kmart successful, including a more vertically integrated supply chain.

(Up)starts in banking

Elsewhere, the Commonwealth Bank maintained its spot as Australia’s highest rated major bank, but across the entire market there was movement, with P&N Bank taking the top gong.

The West Australian customer-owned bank scored an impressive 94.7 per cent in the year.

There was also a new category in banking this year for neobanks – digital banks – that saw the Bendigo Bank backed startup Up emerge as the top player.