US shoppers say they trust these grocery stores the most
Saleen MartinWhen it comes to groceries, U.S. shoppers trust two top supermarkets to meet their grocery needs the most, according to an annual survey.
The survey conducted by BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards is an annual awards program based on consumer votes. Customers who participate vote in 359 categories such as affordability, quick and easy shopping, and store brands.
BrandSpark International said in a news release that the survey is 100% consumer-voted and nationally representative.
The company conducted this year's survey among 35,215 American shoppers, per the news release.
"When consumers are deciding between similar options, trust recognition functions as a tiebreaker before purchase," said Philip Scrutton, Vice President of BrandSpark Shopper Insights, in the press release. "Seeing a consumer-voted trusted award across social, in store, or digital touchpoints creates confidence in the brand and drives purchase."
Here's a look at the grocery stores that came out on top.
Which grocery stores do customers trust the most?
As part of the trust survey, customers were asked about stores such as Walmart, Aldi, Kroger, ShopRite, Safeway, Grocery Outlet, Whole Foods Market and Trader Joe's.
In the grocery category, Walmart and Aldi came out on top, meaning participants trust these two brands the most for their grocery needs, BrandSpark International said.
Across a variety of categories, Walmart and Aldi won the most awards, with Walmart winning eight total and Aldi winning 11 total.
Walmart's 11 wins include:
- Conventional non-discount supermarket in the South
- Grocery store for customer service
- Grocery store for low prices or affordability in the South
- Grocery store for low prices or affordability in the West
- Grocery store for store brand/private label products
- Supermarket for quick and easy shopping
- Supermarket for sales and promotions
- Superstore/hypermarket in the Midwest
- Superstore/hypermarket in the Northeast
- Superstore/hypermarket in the South
- Superstore/hypermarket in the West
Aldi won in eight grocery categories, including:
- Discount supermarket in the Midwest
- Discount supermarket in the Northeast
- Discount supermarket in the South
- Grocery store for low prices and affordability in the Midwest
- Grocery store for low prices and affordability in the Northeast
- Small format grocery store in the Midwest
- Small format grocery store in the Northeast
- Small format grocery store in the South
Survey shows differences in shopping preferences regionally
Some national grocers scored higher in specialized categories. Whole Foods Market, for example, scored highest as the grocery store for natural or organic foods.
And whether or not customers trust grocers appears to waver depending on the region.
Consumers in the Midwest submitted the most votes for Kroger in the conventional non-discount supermarket category. Shoppers in the Northeast submitted the most votes for ShopRite in the conventional non-discount supermarket category, while in the West, the supermarket of choice is Safeway.
Among small format grocery stores, customers in the South prefer Aldi, while those in the West prefer Trader Joe's.
In addition to grocery stores, BrandSpark International also asked consumers about their preferred AI platforms like ChatGPT, beauty brands such as Maybelline and baby brands like Graco.
Saleen Martin is a reporter on USA TODAY’s trending team. She is from Norfolk, Virginia – the 757. Email her at [email protected].