A new supermarket study has revealed which deal shoppers love the best and which is the worst for saving money. Budget-friendly supermarket, Aldi, has not been ranked at the top for their special buys or other bargain offers.
The report, from Money.co.uk, sets out to discover which supermarket’s deals and discounts are the most sought after by the British public online. Using information from YouGov, Statista and Kanter as sources, the study identified nine of the most prominent supermarkets in the UK for having the best deals.
The study excluded three well-known supermarkets, Iceland and Farmfoods, as they're predominantly frozen food stores and the alternative meanings to the names could skew findings, they said. Marks and Spencer was also removed from the study as Money.co.uk said it was impossible to isolate searches that were in relation to supermarket goods and not clothing.
Topping the list with 46,580 estimated searches per month was the supermarket with the UK’s largest market share, Tesco. The retailer had strong search volumes amongst customers for all search variations, with approximately 33,100 queries for “tesco offers” in March alone.
The Co-op came in second place with 31,920 overall monthly searches, a 31.5% drop from first position. The member-owned retail chain excelled in the ‘deals’ and ‘offers’ categories, with 14,800 recorded Google queries in both.
Coming close behind in third place was Morrisons, as UK residents look for their discounts 30,830 times every month, according to the study. Founded in Bradford over 120 years ago, this supermarket powerhouse now has almost 500 stores across Great Britain.
The next five places went to Lidl, Asda, Sainsburys, Aldi, and Waitrose. Online retailer Ocado finished at the base of the rankings (11,630 searches). It came second in the ‘discount code’ category with 8,100 searches, behind only Asda. Founded in 2000, the digitally powered supermarket is the youngest retailer in the study.
Florence Codjoe, personal finance expert at money.co.uk, said: “Grocery shopping is at the forefront of our efforts to reduce bills, as an activity that we all participate in regularly.
"Despite rising prices for a number of our everyday essentials, there are some effective steps that can be taken to keep your own costs down, and have some extra money for your own personal savings:”
Tips to get the best supermarket shopping deal
- Keep your basket/trolley items consistent: Although difficult for those with varying tastes or a large family, buying the same items on a regular basis can make it easier to track if the costs of your favourite products are rising. Using a shopping list can also reduce overspending, as you're more likely to stick to it.
- Shop around: With the various supermarket choices British consumers have, it’s always worth comparing the selection of special offers and deals available from different retailers, along with their prices for different products.
- Actively search for deals: Most discounts available from supermarkets can be found online, so a couple of well targeted Google searches should reveal potential savings. It’s also worth checking discount websites like hotukdeals for discount codes and free samples. Or Quidco, for cashback rewards on your purchases. If the internet is not your favoured tool, the papers can contain supermarket saving vouchers, or details on upcoming offers.
- Don’t be afraid to try supermarket own brands: Usually cheaper than ‘name-brands’ and often equal in quality, substituting your favoured supermarket's version for the brand you usually purchase could knock some money off your weekly shopping bill.
- Add to your savings at every opportunity: Most banks now have the option to round up your purchases to the nearest pound and send the difference to your savings account, which is an easy way to raise funds. Alternatively if paying in cash put any spare change into a piggy bank or container, and watch it build up.
- Take advantage of loyalty cards: The majority of British supermarkets offer a loyalty scheme, where customers can accumulate points or avail of exclusive special offers. Additionally they are almost all free to join, so can only benefit the shopper.
