Brandwave

Trader Joe's, Aldi and Kroger:Which are most popular?

In September 2026, Trader Joe's drew 50% of estimated branded searches across these three brands in the United States, ahead of Aldi at 27.5%. When we checked with ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews, Aldi showed up in every answer. Of all 12 brands we track in grocery chains, Aldi was the most recommended, Trader Joe's was second and Kroger was eighth.

All three are grocery chains in the United States. See all grocery chains

Brands in this comparisonAny 10 or fewer published brands in the United States
  • Trader Joe's
  • Aldi
  • Kroger

Follow Trader Joe's, Aldi and Kroger and get free monthly updates on what changed

By continuing you'll get index updates and occasional product news from Brandwave. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

Track your brand in the United States →

Trader Joe's, Aldi and Kroger in ChatGPT and Google AI Overviews

In three ChatGPT questions, Aldi appeared every time. Of all 12 brands we track in grocery chains, Aldi was the most recommended, Trader Joe's was second and Kroger was eighth.

Most recommended by AI

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

  1. Aldi1st
  2. Trader Joe's2nd
  3. H-E-B3rd
  4. Publix4th
  5. Whole Foods Market5th
  6. WinCo Foods5th
  7. Wegmans7th
  8. Kroger8th
  9. Albertsons–
  10. Food Lion–
  11. +2 more

Mentioned by AI

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

  • Aldi3 of 3Named in 3 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • H-E-B2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Trader Joe's2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Whole Foods Market2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • WinCo Foods2 of 3Named in 2 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Kroger1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Publix1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Wegmans1 of 3Named in 1 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Albertsons0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers
  • Food Lion0 of 3Named in 0 of 3 ChatGPT answers

+2 more

See every answer about grocery chains

3 answers

Not named in any answer:

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

How these brands compare month by month

Share of Search here is each brand's branded searches divided by the total for the brands in this comparison. Add or remove a brand and every share is worked out again.

  • Trader Joe's
  • Aldi
  • Kroger
Trader Joe's, Aldi and Kroger in the United States, by month

Share of searches by month for Trader Joe's, Aldi, Kroger. The figures are in the table below the chart.

View monthly share of searches table
MonthTrader Joe'sAldiKroger
Oct 202547.2%31.6%21.3%
Nov 202545.1%30.1%24.8%
Dec 202545.1%30.1%24.8%
Jan 202642.3%34.5%23.2%
Feb 202645%30.2%24.8%
Mar 202647.2%31.6%21.3%
Apr 202642.3%34.5%23.2%
May 202647.2%31.6%21.3%
Jun 202647.2%31.6%21.3%
Jul 202642.3%34.5%23.2%
Aug 202642.3%34.5%23.2%
Sep 202650%27.5%22.5%

  1. 1.Trader Joe's

    50%

    Held 1st. 16.6M estimated branded searches, +22.1% vs prior month. Share +7.7 points.

  2. 2.Aldi

    27.5%

    Held 2nd. 9.1M estimated branded searches, -17.7% vs prior month. Share -7 points.

  3. 3.Kroger

    22.5%

    Held 3rd. 7.5M estimated branded searches, 0% vs prior month. Share -0.7 points.

How the Brand Demand Index is measured