Home Brands, Loyalty Programs & Gen Z Favourites Dominating the (Super)Market, Amongst Top Grocery Trends
5,000 Australian shoppers have had their say and cast votes for their favourite supermarket and everyday products, in the annual Product of the Year Awards (POY) for 2025. The world’s largest consumer-based awards program is now in its 16th year in Australia, recognising product innovation, and serving as a shortcut for shoppers, saving them time and money when finding the right products.
With inflation and rising food prices continuing to cause frustration amongst Australian households, it’s no surprise that 9 in 10 Aussies are now using affordability as their yardstick when determining product choices, according to new research conducted by NielsenIQ for POY . Similar findings revealed that almost 2 in 3 shoppers are sacrificing indulgence items like chocolate and desserts, while 17% (up 4 points from last year) are removing household cleaning products from their carts in order to meet budgets.
While grocery shopping remains a point of tension for Australians across the nation, some age groups are having a better time at the supermarket than others. A surprising 20% of Australians ages 18 to 24 say they love grocery shopping, in comparison to only 4% of Aussies ages 55 to 64 that say the same, indicating grocery stores are doing a better job engaging younger generations.
So, how can grocery stores better serve Australian shoppers in today’s economic climate? 81% of respondents polled, unsurprisingly, said that being the most affordable retailer is the best way to engage and retain them as customers.
Other top-ranking factors valued by shoppers when choosing a grocery store include:
• Best Range of Fresh, Healthy Products – voted by 77% of shoppers
• Best Deals & Promotions – voted by 77% of shoppers
• Best Shopping Experience/ Environment – voted by 59% of shoppers
• Most Appealing Home Brands – voted by 52% of shoppers
This is reflected in the 2025 Product of the Year winners, with supermarket chains Coles and Woolworths taking 23 of the 34 category awards, dominating with their home-brand and fresh food offerings.
Product of the Year Director, Sarah Connelly says, “For the third year in a row, affordability has been the driving factor in influencing how people are filling their shopping trollies in the hopes of reducing their grocery bills. This – paired with our research revealing Australians in the 55+ category are feeling disengaged with grocery shopping – shows how the cost of living continues to put pressure on many Aussie households.
“That said, the POY winners’ trends are demonstrating that many Australians prioritise fresh, whole foods, easy cooking solutions and innovation to home brand products, such as recyclable packaging, perhaps indicating a shift to stores catering to a younger generation of shoppers. This is shown in winners such as the Woolworths Cook Slow Cooked Traditional Beef Roast with Garlic & Herb, Coles Overnight Chia Pudding- Berry & Coconut, and Woolworths Fresh Milk, now with recyclable packaging”
This year, Product of the Year was thrilled to welcome beloved household brands back into the winners’ pool, including the Storage Bed from Emma Sleep, TePe, with thier TePe Choice Toothbrush, and Aussie home-grown brands Koala Sleep for The Koala Mattress and LeVel Beverages with a new sports drink.
In addition, POY are very excited to welcome first-time winners,Kmart, with the ANKO Hard Anodised Non-Stick Frypan, E45 Face Moisturizer from Nice Pak and Spirex Study App Notebook Range into the fold for 2025.
Shoppers can be confident when buying Product of the Year category winners as they undergo a rigorous testing process. A panel of judges, comprising of various industry experts, first tested the products for quality, credibility, and innovation.
The resulting product finalists were then reviewed and voted on by 5,000 Australians. The NielseniQ research that determines the winners involves evaluating these consumer responses by using their six key innovation criteria which include:
Relevance – Is the product fulfilling a need or addressing a problem?
Uniqueness – Does is stand out and bring something new to the category?
Excitement – How excited are they to use the product? Would they spread the word?
Likeability – Does it deliver what you want?
Distinctiveness – Does it add something new to its category?
Innovation – Is it an innovative product?