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Woolworths, Coles Are Now Australia’s Most Distrusted Brands

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Less than two years after Woolworths and Coles were named as Australia’s two most trusted brands, the supermarket chains have experienced a humiliating collapse in public support.

According to the Roy Morgan Risk Monitor, which surveys 25,000 Australians each year to measure levels of trust and distrust in around 1,000 brands across 27 industries, Woolworths and Coles have recorded the highest and second highest levels of distrust since the polling began in 2017.

The only people smiling are those at competitors IGA and Aldi, and folks at Optus, who get a breather from being Australia’s most distrusted brand.

In 2022 and 2023, Woolworths and Coles were named as Australia’s two most trusted brands in the survey.

“Distrust has a far more potent impact on consumer behaviour than trust,” said Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine.

Coles online shopping.

“While trust creates loyalty, distrust can drive customers into the welcoming arms of more trusted brands. The reputational fall of Woolworths and Coles is a powerful reminder of the fragility of trust in today’s environment.”

Supermarkets stockpiled credit with the Australian public during Covid, however it was quickly spent, and then some, as prices spiked across most categories in the grocery sector. 

And they didn’t come back down, meaning the pain was permanent. To add insult to injury, so-called specials, which often required customers to buy multiples of one product, seemed more expensive than buying a single item at full price just a few years ago.

“Distrust is a virus for brands,” said Levine. “It spreads quickly, and reversing it is a complex and multi-year challenge. For the big supermarkets, this means rethinking how they engage with and persuade Australians, particularly in times of economic pressure.

“Trust is more than a metric; it’s the foundation of loyalty. Without it, even the most established brands are vulnerable to the power of consumer backlash, becoming fragile brands.”



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