Around 75% of Australians now identify as bargain hunters who will switch brands for value, and 86% put price at the centre of a purchase. With electricity up 22.5% in the year to April, loyalty is being repriced.
Loyalty did not die. It got repriced. Customers will stay until someone shows them a better number.
Australian shoppers have rewired how they buy. Around 75% now identify as bargain hunters who will switch brands for better value. About 86% put price at the centre of a purchase decision, and nearly half say they are focused on essential spending only. This is not a blip. It is the new default.
The pressure is structural. Electricity costs rose 22.5% in the year to April 2026 as government rebates ended, and households are still spending cautiously even when they spend more. When they do open the wallet it is for value on big-ticket items during sales events, not impulse at full price.
Brand loyalty is the casualty. Three quarters of shoppers will leave you for a better deal, which means the relationship you thought you owned is on loan.
Why it matters
If your marketing still assumes customers come back out of habit, the data says otherwise. Australians are actively shopping around, and the brands holding share are the ones making the value obvious and removing reasons to hesitate. A discount is not the only answer, but pretending price does not dominate the decision right now is denial.
Share of Australians who now identify as bargain hunters willing to switch brands for value
There is opportunity in this. When everyone competes on price, clear value and a frictionless experience win the switchers. When everyone zigs to discounting, the brand that makes value undeniable without bleeding margin can zag.
What to do about it
Cost of living is doing the choosing right now. The brands that name their value clearly will keep the customer the rest are about to lose.