The simple supermarket swap saving Aussie families $2,424 a year

The way Australians grocery shop has forever changed thanks to soaring food prices, with some key trends emerging, according to a survey of over 3000 shoppers by consumer group Canstar.

The four main trends, which began as short-term ways to save during a cost-of-living crisis, have quickly become the new normal.

"The majority of Australians have changed how they shop in a bid to save money, showing how the climbing cost-of-living has turned a weekly chore into a strategic exercise," Canstar spokesperson, Eden Radford, said of this transformation.

"Households are spending real time and mental energy trying to stretch their dollar at the supermarket, and Canstar's research shows they're getting increasingly savvy about it."

1. Switching to home brands

Two-in-five Aussie shoppers have switched to home brands, which can save a family-of-four up to $2424 a year, according to Canstar research.

"Switching to home-brand products is one of the simplest ways to take back control of your grocery bill," Radford said.

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With Coles and Woolworths heavily investing in their home brand products, this switch no longer means compromising on quality.

In fact, several home brand products have won Customer Satisfaction Awards via Canstar surveys, including Aldi's Almat and Trimat laundry liquid and powder and Westacre sliced cheese.

Coles has picked up awards for its breakfast oats, wholemeal bread, and Coles Bakery white sliced bread.

And Woolworths has picked up awards for its cream and its Bell Farms home brand frozen vegetables.

Home brand sales now account for approximately 30 per cent of sales in Australia at supermarkets across the country.

Cross-shopping, including at discount stores

Half of Aussie shoppers now visit multiple supermarkets to take advantage of specials, rather than staying loyal to one, Canstar reports.

A further 30 per cent of consumers now visit a discount store such as Red Dollar or The Reject Shop as part of their regular grocery shopping schedule for further savings, particularly on pantry staples.

Shoppers are also happy to hunt around for the best prices on expensive items such as meat.

This all may take longer than visiting one supermarket, but is proving most effective when it comes to saving at the checkout.

The Shopfully annual The State of Shopping report also found there is less shopper loyalty as two-thirds of Aussie shoppers (67 per cent) take the time to compare prices across multiple retailers to ensure they are securing the best deal before making a purchase.

Twenty-one per cent of shoppers surveyed by Canstar also shop at different times of the day to catch discounts such as bakery and fresh produce markdowns.

Unit pricing, not sales tags

Canstar has found Aussie shoppers have increasingly been using unit pricing rather than the price per product, to ensure they are choosing the best price possible.

Radford has labelled this one of "the most underutilised tools in any shopper's trolley".

Once again, this can take a little longer, however it is well worth it, with 40 per cent of those surveyed saying taking the time to compare unit pricing is something they do regularly.

And this does mean ignoring sales tags in favour of unit pricing, even though this can be difficult to do.

RMIT Finance and Marketing expert Dr Nadja Dollisson suggested using sales tags as a "prompt to check" the unit pricing instead of assuming that the sales tag is reflecting the best price possible.

Foregoing treats

Canstar also found that 37 per cent of Aussie shoppers are foregoing buying treats in an effort to make ends meet.

These so called "discretionary items" are the easiest way for shoppers to save, but as a long-term strategy, can feel a little deflating.

Liquor and tobacco are Coles and Woolworths' largest "discretionary" categories and both supermarkets reported weak sales in these areas while reporting on their latest sales results.

However, Coles also reported that customers are still buying treats such as chips, biscuits, chocolate, and ice-cream, but they are choosing smaller or more affordable versions of them.

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