Trader Joe’s, H-E-B lead ‘best in class’ grocery ranking; Aldi tops for value
Walmart accounts for the most U.S. grocery dollars, almost twice that of Kroger.
That’s one of the findings of MarketForce’s “US Grocery Benchmark Study: Consumer Experiences & Competitive Benchmarks,” which surveyed 6,555 consumers. The report found that Walmart’s lead in wallet share has widened since 2017, reflecting its continued market penetration during the past five years.
Two brands stood out above the rest when customers were asked if they considered their grocer of choice to be “best in class.” Wegmans Food Markets came in first with 76% agreement, and H-E-B was a close second at 73% agreement. Publix was third at 61%.
Trader Joe’s, H-E-B and Wisconsin-based Woodman’s Market ranked as the grocery brands with the highest customer loyalty. Trader Joe's had a score of 84%, with H-E-B a close second at 83%. Woodman's Market had a score of 81%. (The score combines 'satisfaction with the most recent' visit with 'likelihood to recommend.)
Wegmans (77%) and Publix tied for fourth with a score of 77%, followed by Sprouts Farmers Market (75%).
Ninety-percent of consumers selected Aldi as having the best “value for money,” closely followed by Woodman’s Markets (88%) and WinCo Foods (87%). Lidl (83%) and Market Basket (81%) rounded out the top five. Walmart had a 58% score.
Other insights from the Market Force study are below.
•More than two-third of customers shop at thee or more grocery brands.
•The primary drivers of shopper satisfaction are a problem-free experience, having a variety of products available, a clean store and fast checkout. Out-of-stocks (63%) and slow or long checkout lines (21%) were the problems most frequently cited by consumers.
•More than one in nine shoppers were dissatisfied with their latest grocery experience at their primary brand.
•Almost two in three shoppers use a grocery website or app.
•More than six in 10 customers purchase store products of generics half or more of the time.
The 46 brands featured in the study include: Acme Markets, Albertson's, Aldi, Amazon Fresh, BJ's, Costco, Dillons, Food Lion, Fred Meyer, Fry's, Giant Eagle, Giant Food Stores, Grocery Outlet, H-E-B, Hannaford Supermarkets, Harris Teeter, Hy-Vee, Food Stores, Ingles Markets, Jewel Osco, King Soopers, Kroger, Label, Lidl, Market Basket, Meijer, Price Chopper, Publix Super Markets, Ralph's, Safeway, Sam's Club, Schnuck Markets, Shaw's, ShopRite, Smith's, Sprouts Farmers Markets, Stop & Shop, Target, Trader Joe's Market, Vons, Walmart, Wegmans, Weis Markets, Whole Foods Market, WinCo Foods, Winn-Dixie Stores, Woodman's Markets.