Brandwave

Coles vs Woolworths:Which is more popular?

In September 2026, Coles had more branded searches than Woolworths among supermarkets in Australia. Coles had about 3 million branded searches, while Woolworths had 2.9 million. Coles made up 33.2% of all supermarket searches we track, and Woolworths accounted for 32.7%. When we asked ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews about supermarkets, both Coles and Woolworths appeared in all four answers. Woolworths was mentioned before Coles in every answer.

Among supermarkets in Australia in September 2026

Who do people search for more?

Coles and Woolworths are searched for about as often as each other.

Coles 3M searchesWoolworths 2.9M searches

Who does AI mention more?

Both are mentioned in every answer we collected.

Coles in 4 of 4Woolworths in 4 of 4

Who does AI recommend more?

Woolworths, named ahead of Coles in every answer

Woolworths first in 4Coles never first

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Top supermarkets in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions and one Google AI Overview, both Coles and Woolworths showed up in all four answers. Woolworths was listed before Coles in every answer.

Most recommended by AI

Brands get a higher ranking if they are mentioned earlier in the answers.

  1. Woolworths1st
  2. Coles2nd
  3. Aldi3rd
  4. Harris Farm Markets4th
  5. IGA5th

Mentioned by AI

Each dot is one answer, filled in when that answer mentions the brand.

  • Coles4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Woolworths4 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers
  • Aldi3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • IGA3 of 4Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 0 of 1 Google answers
  • Harris Farm Markets3 of 4Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answersNamed in 1 of 1 Google answers

See every answer about supermarkets

4 answers

Brands are shown in the order each answer named them. The survey took place in Australia on October 22, 2026.

Is Coles or Woolworths more popular in search?

This chart shows how often people search Google for Coles and Woolworths by name. Each line represents a brand's share of searches for all five supermarkets we track, month by month, from searches in Australia.

Coles and Woolworths among supermarkets in Australia, by month

Share of searches by month for Coles, Woolworths. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthColesWoolworthsAldiIGAHarris Farm Markets
Oct 202535.1%34.6%23.5%5.7%1.2%
Nov 202535.1%34.5%23.4%5.7%1.3%
Dec 202534.8%34.4%23%6.4%1.3%
Jan 202632.6%38.3%21.8%6.2%1.2%
Feb 202635.2%34.7%23.5%5.5%1.1%
Mar 202632.8%38.9%21.9%5.3%1.1%
Apr 202634.6%34.2%23.5%6.3%1.5%
May 202631%37.3%25.3%5%1.3%
Jun 202633.3%33.3%27.2%4.9%1.2%
Jul 202633.3%32.8%27.7%4.9%1.3%
Aug 202631%36.9%25.4%5.3%1.4%
Sep 202633.2%32.7%27.2%5.6%1.2%

How has the Coles and Woolworths comparison changed over the last 12 months?

3 findings
  • The lead changed hands 8 times in the 12 months ending September 2026: Woolworths took it in January 2026, Coles took it in February 2026, Woolworths took it in March 2026, Coles took it in April 2026, Woolworths took it in May 2026, Coles took it in July 2026, Woolworths took it in August 2026, Coles took it in September 2026.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Coles’ share of searches among supermarkets in Australia moved from 35.1% to 33.2%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.7M to 3M.
  • Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Woolworths’ share of searches among supermarkets in Australia moved from 34.6% to 32.7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 3.6M to 2.9M.

How did search popularity change for Australia supermarkets in September 2026?

2 changes

  1. In September 2026, Coles overtook Woolworths to become the leader among supermarkets in Australia, with 33.2% of the searches.

  2. In September 2026, Woolworths lost share of searches among supermarkets in Australia, from 36.9% to 32.7%.

How are branded searches counted?

4 search terms

Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Coles’ and Woolworths’ names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.

Coles

2 branded search terms

  • coles
  • coles online

Woolworths

2 branded search terms

  • woolworths
  • woolworths online

How the Brand Demand Index is measured

Other head-to-heads among supermarkets

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