The winners of the annual Product of the Year Awards (POY) have been announced, recognising product value and innovation to help consumers make the best choices. This year, Coles and Woolworths homebrand items dominated, taking out 23 of the 34 categories.
With inflation and rising food prices continuing to cause frustration amongst Australian households, it’s no surprise that 90 per cent are now using affordability as their yardstick when determining product choices, according to 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 per cent (up 4 points from last year) are removing household cleaning products from their carts in order to meet budgets.
The most relevant changes to grocery shopping have been having better rewards and loyalty schemes when shopping (60 per cent) and increased product ranges for convenience (52 per cent).
When asked how grocery stores can best attract Australian shoppers, 81 per cent of respondents said that being the most affordable retailer is the best way to engage and retain them as customers. Having the best range of fresh, healthy products, and the best deals and promotions were the next most popular choices, both garnering 77 per cent of shoppers' votes.
The POY Awards are one of the largest consumer-based award programs in the world, and have been running in Australia for 16 years. They act as guideline for consumers to gain a better understanding of the products worth purchasing in an expensive and oversaturated industry.
Winners are chosen by professionals and consumers combined — industry experts test all the submitted products for quality, credibility, and innovation – and the resulting product finalists are reviewed and voted on by 5000 Australian consumers.
Product of the Year director, Sarah Connelly, said this is the third year in a row where affordability has been the driving factor in influencing how people are filling their shopping trollies, in the hopes of reducing their grocery bills.
“This shows how the cost of living continues to put pressure on many Aussie households,” said Connelly.
“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,” she said.
The full list of winners includes:
- Skin Care: Nice Pak Products E45 Face Moisturiser
- Household/Kitchenware: Kmart Australia Anko Hard Anodised Non-Stick Frypan
- Laundry: Reckitt Benckiser Pine O Cleen Platinum Antibacterial Laundry Sanitiser
- Stationary: ACCO Brands Spirax Study App Notebook Range
- Ice Cream: Ferrero Australia Ferrero Rocher Frozen Dessert
- Mattress: Koala Mattress
- Dental Care: TePe Choice Toothbrush
- Biscuits /Sweet Treats: Coles Finest Chocolate Hazelnut Cookie
- Packaged Bread: Coles Simply Garlic Bread Twin Pack 450g
- Breakfast: Coles Overnight Chia Pudding- Berry & Coconut
- Coffee: Coles Daley Street Instant Coffee
- Dried Fruit/ Nuts: Coles Finest Lime Cocktail Slices
- Fresh Produce: Coles Red Grandma's Heirloom Tomato
- Meal Bases: Coles Simply Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce
- Beverages: Coles Immunity Lift Juice 1L
- Packaged Seafood (Fresh): Tassal Cooked Australian Tiger Prawns
- Vitamins: Ultra Life Magnesium, Calcium + Vitamin D3
- Baby Care: CUB Biodegradable Water Wipes 60 pack
- Slow Cooked Meal Solutions: Woolworths Cook Slow Cooked Traditional Beef Roast With Garlic & Herb
- Celebration Cakes: Woolworths Smash Cake
- Seafood (frozen): Woolworths Lemon Crumb Barramundi
- Gourmet Snacking: Woolworths Sea Salt Deli Style Potato Chips
- Fresh Meat: Woolworths Premium Beef Chuck & Brisket Mince
- Plant Based Meal: Coles Nature’s Kitchen Hearty Mushroom & Lentil Pies
- Nutritional Snacks: Plus Sum Salted Caramel Protein Bar
- Small Goods: Woolworths Smoked Streaky Bacon
- Poultry - Easy Meal Solutions: Woolworths Chicken Breast Bites Southern Style
- Beds: Emma Storage Bed
- Coffee Pods: Nestlé Australia Starbucks by Nespresso Flavoured Coffee Pods
- Sports Beverage: LeVel Lemonade & Cola
- Indulgent Dessert (Chilled): Woolworths Lotus Biscoff Cheesecake
- Healthy Lunch Box: Macro Lentil Bites Pumped up Pumpkin
- Household Cleaning: Strike Multipurpose Cleaner Refill Apple & Cedarwood
- Milk: Woolworths Full Cream Milk
