Australia’s top rated liquor retail brands have been revealed, highlighting a preference among shoppers for competitive pricing as some choose to trade down while others reduce the volume of their purchases.
In a customer satisfaction survey by comparison site Finder and research partner Dynata, more than 10,000 Australians were asked to rate leading bottle shops across a range of metrics, determining the winning brands in four key areas.
Stores were each ranked on their customer service, product range, product quality and value for money, also receiving a rating based on the customer’s level of trust. Analysing the results, Chris Jager, Finder’s retail specialist, says shoppers were most critical in their perceptions of value for money, which is reflective of economic pressures being felt across the country.
“Many Aussies are doing it tough financially and we continue to see a flight toward value. For some customers, that might mean ditching the $20 bottle of wine for a $10 one, but for others, especially younger consumers, it means drinking half as much without skimping on quality,” he stated.
“When consumers rated bottle shop brands, they were the harshest on the value metric with an average score of 4.1 out of five. In contrast, the average rating for product quality was 4.4. This suggests that Aussies are raising the bar – they don’t just expect good product, they want it at a good price.
“It’s no surprise that Aldi was voted the top value bottle shop brand with its rock bottom prices and weekly Special Buys. Dan Murphy’s also rated well for value, possibly due to its strong rewards program.”
Although Aldi took out the top award in Finder’s Customer Satisfaction Awards program, Dan Murphy’s was highly commended in three categories and named a loved, value and trusted brand.
First Choice Liquor scooped three of the four remaining bottle shop awards, rated by consumers as the most loved, most trusted and best customer service, also claiming highly commended in the value category.
First Choice Liquor was the only liquor retailer to receive a 100 per cent trust rating, highlighting strong consumer confidence in the brand which is currently undergoing a fleet conversion trial and adopting the Liquorland banner in select stores in South Australia, Victoria and Queensland.
“First Choice Liquor had the best overall rating for product quality and 100 per cent of customers said they found the brand trustworthy. This makes it a great choice when you need to impress and is a big reason why it won three Finder Awards in the bottle shop category.
“It comes back to Aussies being more health conscious and wanting to make sure that when they do drink, it’s about quality and not quantity.
“It’ll be interesting to see next year’s results with the pilot rebrand of First Choice Liquor and Vintage Cellars under the Liquorland brand given customers rated all three brands differently,” he stated.
Comparatively, while First Choice Liquor received a 100 per cent trust rating, Liquorland and Vintage Cellars both received 97 per cent.
