Australia’s favourite brands of 2015

THE march of the private labels continues. Two of Aldi’s home brand products have been named among Australia’s 10 favourite brands of 2015.

Australia’s favourite brands of 2015

TWO of Aldi’s home brand products have been named among Australia’s 10 favourite brands of 2015, according to consumer research company Canstar Blue.

The list, based on surveys of 27,000 adults undertaken in 2015, includes a range of brands spanning retail, telecommunications, appliances and fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), all of which achieved five-star ratings for overall customer satisfaction in their respective categories.

The German discounter won in the fabric softener category with its Anco product, while AldiMobile was the favourite in the mobile prepaid service providers category.

Other winners included Blooms the Chemist in the pharmacies category, Teachers Mutual Bank in the challenger banks category, and Dick Smith Foods in jams and fruit spreads.

Canstar Blue head Megan Doyle said the company had produced customer satisfaction ratings in nearly 100 different categories in 2015, ranging from pizza stores and diet shakes to refrigerators and electricity providers.

“But these 10 brands stand out from the rest,” she said. “The big challenge facing retailers, service providers and manufacturers is striking a winning balance between product quality and price. The importance of good customer service also shouldn’t be underestimated.

“Many of these brands compete in hugely competitive markets, particularly those in the FMCG space that are facing huge pressure in the supermarket price war. But consumers are only interested in getting the best bang for their buck — and these 10 brands are the highest rated of the year.”

Mrs Doyle said the results showed a good mix of premium and low-cost brands.

“Yes, consumers are price-conscious and don’t want to pay more than they have to for certain everyday products, but they also appreciate quality and don’t mind paying more for certain items they love,” she said.

“At a time when retailers are competing to offer the lowest prices, these results show that getting the best value for money doesn’t always mean buying what’s cheapest.

Miele and Bose are examples of consumers seeing the long-term benefit of buying premium household or personal appliances that will provide value over a number of years, she said, while in the case of Blooms, Teachers Mutual and Westnet, customers highlighted the importance and value of quality customer service coming to the fore.

“The likes of Dick Smith jam and Obela dip are also some of the more expensive products in their categories, but consumers are happy to pay for that extra quality,” she said.

CANSTAR’S TOP 10 BRANDS OF 2015

• ALDI Anco (fabric softeners)

• ALDImobile (mobile prepaid service providers)

• Blast Ultra Plus (dishwashing liquids)

• Blooms the Chemist (pharmacies)

• Bose (headphones)

• Dick Smith (jam/fruit spreads)

• Miele (front load washing machines)

• Obela (food dips)

• Teachers Mutual Bank (challenger banks)

• Westnet (broadband service providers)