Aldi continues to make a positive impression on shoppers as it remodels stores and adds to its assortment, according to a new report from Retail Feedback Group.
Forty-two percent of respondents who shop at Aldi said they plan to do so more in the next 12 months, up from 33% in the previous RFG study.
“This appears to show progress of the continued efforts Aldi is placing on attracting and retaining shoppers,” RFG wrote in its report.
Aldi also ranked highest — compared with supermarkets and Walmart — in likelihood to recommend, coming in with a score of 44.7. Supermarkets earned a mark of 40.7, while Walmart was a distant third with a score of 27.1.
Supermarkets maintain the lead in overall trip satisfaction, but Aldi is close behind.
Fifty-six percent of shoppers were highly satisfied with the quality and freshness for Aldi, up from 49% from the last RFG study. Supermarkets also had a score of 56%.
“While supermarkets still lead in quality and variety, Aldi continues to make inroads against supermarkets with similar scores on some factors and the lead in value for money spent, even over Walmart,” RFG wrote in its report.
Improving experience
Walmart continues to lag behind supermarkets and Aldi in numerous areas, but it has made significant strides since the last survey by RFG.
“Walmart appears to have invested in improving their grocery shopping experience, and while not receiving the top scores, these investments have translated to improved scores over the last study,” the firm wrote in its report. “Supermarkets need to retain their lead over Walmart in areas they currently own while addressing Aldi’s improving scores in some areas.”
While supermarkets continue to outscore Aldi and Walmart in most areas, ratings varied some by generation, with boomers rating supermarkets most highly.
“This is concerning given the population decline among this age group and the growth among younger generational cohorts,” RFG wrote. “Supermarkets must continue to innovate to capture the younger shoppers in their markets.”
One way to do so is through assortment, RFG suggested. It found supermarkets are still behind in trending categories like international items, allergen-free items, locally sourced items and natural and organic items.