There’s no doubt that Aussie shoppers are feeling the pinch, and that’s borne out by the 2023 Product of the Year awards, the winners of which are announced today. More than 5,000 shoppers cast votes for their favourite supermarket and everyday products in the awards, now in their 14th year in Australia.
NielsenIQ research conducted for the awards found that 84% of shoppers are employing cost-saving techniques, with one in two shoppers (50%) admitting they have had to switch to low-cost or home-brand options, 42% claiming they have to switch to more affordable fresh food/cuts of meat, and 37% generally opting to buy less than they usually do.
“Typically, during a recession, you will see many people cut back on holidays and indulgent expenses like eating out, but interestingly, the data indicates something else is happening entirely,” said Product of the Year Director, Sarah Connelly. “Only a third of Aussies reported that they cut back on splurge-like expenses such as dinners and food delivery, instead opting to switch to cheaper brands, buy less groceries or reject their favourite brands altogether.”
The NielsenIQ research also uncovered that the post-pandemic trend is in favour of supporting local, with a third (32%) of shoppers preferring to go to retailers that support Australian brands.
Brands welcomed back into the winner’s pool include Birds Eye, Colgate, Lyre’s and Moccona, while first-time winners include Rokeby Farms’ environmentally friendly ‘ReMilk,’ Roll’d Vietnamese Sauces, and The Comfort Mattress from The Emma Sleep Company. Coles and Woolworths were the big winners for their home-brand, deli and bakery products, with Coles taking 11 of the 33 awards and Woolworths taking five.
For a full list of winners, visit the Product of the Year website.
This is not a sponsored post, but Food Wine Travel was sent the selection of winning products shown in the photo above. Coles’ Extra Virgin Olive Oil has proved to be great for everyday cooking (we use a more expensive one for salads and dressings). The Greener cling-wrap is welcome (normally we use beeswax wraps but cling-wrap does come in handy at times). And we’ve been happily knocking back Lyre’s non-alcoholic Pink London Spirit (feeling noble as we do 😊).
Read our post on last year’s winners.
