Bulla Australia’s most popular ice cream brand, Roy Morgan Research
Ice cream remains hugely popular in Australia, despite ups and downs in recent years, with Bulla the most popular brand, according to new findings from market research organisation Roy Morgan Research.
The dairy treat remains a staple on many Australian grocery lists, with 73 per cent of Australian grocery buyers purchasing a tub or carton of ice cream at least once in the last 12 months, according to Roy Morgan Research.
While the proportion of grocery buyers who usually purchase ice cream tubs/cartons on a weekly basis was relatively low (3 per cent), almost one in five (19 per cent) people said they bought them once a month and 21 per cent bought them every two to three months.
“After four years of decline, the Australian ice cream market has stabilised, with the proportion of grocery buyers purchasing tubs/cartons last year creeping up from 72 per cent to 73 per cent,” said Angela Smith, Group Account Director, Roy Morgan Research.
Bulla most popular brand
Roy Morgan Research found that Bulla was the most popular ice cream brand, purchased by 20 per cent of grocery buyers in an average four weeks. Peters, the market leader as recently as 2011, was in second place (17 per cent); ahead of Streets (12 per cent). Coles brand ice cream (6 per cent) was the most popular of the supermarket brands.
As the chart above indicates, the proportions of grocery buyers purchasing the big ice cream brands in an average four-week period have remained fairly stable since the same time last year.
Streets and Connoisseur gaining
However, Roy Morgan Research found that Streets (12 per cent, up from 10 per cent) and Connoisseur (6 per cent, up from 4 per cent) had made noticeable gains: Streets with its famous Blue Ribbon tubs, and Connoisseur with a suite of exotic flavours.
“Amid this relatively static market, Connoisseur and Streets ice cream showed the most growth,” Ms Smith said.
“So who is buying these brands? Using Roy Morgan Research’s in-depth consumer profiling tool, Helix Personas, we see that New School Cool individuals are a whopping 160 per cent more likely than the average Australian to buy Connoisseur ice cream in an average four weeks,” Ms Smith said. “This high-earning, high-living group enjoys the finer things in life, and Connoisseur’s exotic flavours and premium ingredients would certainly appeal to their gourmet sensibilities,” she said.
Ms Smith said that Streets was especially popular among the even more affluent ‘Bluechip’ persona.
“Individuals from this group are typically a little older than New School Cool, and know exactly what they like – from wine to cars to ice cream,” Ms Smith said.
