When it comes to grocery shopping, brand loyalty carries a lot of weight. A recent survey of grocery shoppers showed that 87% were somewhat or extremely satisfied with their most recent trip to their primary grocery store. Less than 1% were dissatisfied, which only makes sense. Why shop at a grocery store you hate walking into?
The survey, conducted by Market Force Information, revealed that Wal-Mart Stores Inc. (NYSE: WMT) ranked dead last in satisfaction with only about 30% of shoppers satisfied with the experience. In a similar survey last year, Consumer Reports also had ranked the world’s largest retailer at the bottom of the league table.
And the three stores shoppers liked best were identical as well: Wegmans, Publix and Trader Joe’s were the top three in the Market Force survey while Wegmans was number one in the Consumer Reports survey with Publix and Trader Joe’s tied for second.
Costco Wholesale Corp. (NASDAQ: COST) ranked sixth and Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) ranked eighth. No other publicly traded grocery stores appeared among the top 15.
One interesting facet of the Market Force survey was that it asked shoppers about how they use technology when shopping for groceries. The most popular use of technology among all age groups was ordering groceries online and having them delivered. Some 8% of 25 to 34 year olds use that service, the highest proportion among all age groups. Could Amazon.com Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) be onto the next big thing?
Ordering online and then picking up the items in the store was the second-most popular use of technology, while ordering online and picking up the groceries at a drive-through window was third. Ordering at a kiosk inside the store and then picking up the items in the store was the least used.
Don’t be surprised if, in a few years, we start seeing Amazon’s name on lists like this. Ordering online and having groceries delivered has gained traction with millennials, and Amazon won’t miss the opportunity to give that demographic what it wants.
Methodology: In February 2016, Market Force Information surveyed 10,025 U.S. consumers and asked them about their grocery shopping habits, including brand preference, brand engagement, customer experience and social media usage.
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