Following the news that Milkrun has been acquired by Woolworths, Finder has shared new data on grocery and food habits.

According to Finder’s Consumer Sentiment Tracker (CST), the average Aussie household spent $194 per week on groceries in May, up $20 a week compared to 12 months prior ($174).

“That’s a whopping $1040 increase per household over 12 months, or $10.2 billion more nationwide based on Australia’s 9.8 million households,” says Finder.

One-third of the Australians surveyed (33%) are at the shops every few days while more than half (53%) shop once a week.

Finder’s CST also revealed that 40% of the respondents rank groceries as one of their top three most stressful expenses. This is up from 34% in May 2022.

Food and grocery delivery

When it comes to food delivery, the research found Australians are spending an average of $39 a week in May 2023.

“This is mainly due to younger generations such as gen Z spending a whopping $59 a week, followed by gen Y at $55 a week,” says Finder.

A 2021 Finder survey also revealed that 33% of respondents – equivalent to just over 6.4 million people – had started grocery shopping online.

Of those who grocery shop online, 86% said that it’s more efficient than traditional shopping.

“Fast home delivery is a pandemic shopping habit that has become embedded and consumers are accustomed to the convenience,” says Finder Head of Consumer Research Graham Cooke.

Milkrun acquisition

While Milkrun struggled to supply its customer base and return a profit, says Mr Cooke, Woolworths has an existing infrastructure of local metro stores and larger regional stores, many of which already offer home delivery.

“Woolies also has an existing partnership with UberEats to deliver groceries locally,” he says.

“Time will tell if devoted Milkrun customers are satisfied with what the supermarket giant has to offer, but this move may represent the next evolution of the home delivery model.”

Finder expects Coles to come out with a similar offering before the end of the year.