As cost-of-living pressures persist across Australia, retailers must respond to growing consumer frustration without compromising profitability. Woolworths and Coles have launched high-profile pricing campaigns aimed at offering relief, cutting prices on hundreds of essentials and framing their efforts as long-term commitments to value. However, questions remain regarding whether these cuts are meaningful to the everyday shopper. Using Via, Euromonitor International’s AI-powered pricing tracker, we examine how average online prices are changing in general, and for the SKUs that Australians buy the most.
Online Pricing Data Reveal Early Shifts in Pricing Strategies
Australia’s grocery market is highly concentrated, with Coles and Woolworths together accounting for 80% of supermarket sales in 2024. This dominance gives both retailers significant influence over product pricing and placement. In September 2024, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) accused both companies of price gouging, alleging they had raised prices before promoting them as discounts. The ACCC announced in March 2025 that it could not definitively confirm the allegations, but the damage to public trust had been done. Both brands were subsequently ranked among the most distrusted in the country.
To win back consumer confidence, Woolworths introduced a 10% price cut on 400 products in May 2025, while Coles launched a “Down Down” campaign in June, reducing prices on more than 680 items. Whether these actions are enough to shift public sentiment remains to be seen. What is clear is that price transparency has become a critical issue not only for consumers but also for brands, regulators and the broader grocery industry.
While online prices do not capture the full in-store experience, they offer a scalable and precise way to monitor pricing behaviour across thousands of SKUs. This analysis tracks online pricing across more than 100 food categories from July 2024 to June 2025.
Between January and June 2025, average prices for packaged food SKUs that made up 80% of Woolworths’ and Coles’ e-commerce sales fell by 2.0% at Woolworths and 1.5% at Coles, compared to smaller declines for their total online assortments. Notably, the average price of these high-volume SKUs was also lower than the overall SKU basket for each retailer, suggesting a deliberate focus on keeping everyday essentials competitively priced. This pricing gap appears to reflect efforts to anchor shopper perceptions of value and protect high-frequency categories from inflation-driven price pressure.
Price reductions were far from uniform, as both Coles and Woolworths appeared to target specific categories for deeper cuts during the January to June period, as seen above. Coles concentrated its pricing adjustments on family-orientated and everyday staples, such as pizza, soup, desserts and baby food. Woolworths, in contrast, focused more heavily on snack items and convenient pantry essentials, including potato chips, chocolate countlines, pasta sauces and shelf-stable soups. Notably, the majority of price cuts were for branded SKUs rather than private label, signalling a deliberate move to enhance perceived value in high-visibility categories without sacrificing margins.
This selective approach supports the idea that retailers are aiming to shape shopper perceptions by prioritising price cuts that are more likely to be noticed and appreciated. This trend highlights the importance of understanding not just how much prices fall, but where and for whom: insight that is critical for suppliers, competitors and policymakers alike.
Woolworths Rebounds Online on Price-Led Strategy
Ongoing analysis of online pricing, as well as online sales, reveals how these strategies play out in near real time.
In the most recent Q2 data, Woolworths’ price-led strategy appears to have had a positive impact, with share of online sales recovering to 53%, after a dip in late 2024. Coles held steady at 30%, while newer ready-meal providers like HelloFresh, Youfoodz and EveryPlate continued slowly to expand their footprint. These shifts highlight the need for established players to remain proactive. Transparent and fair pricing is not just about short-term reputation, it plays a critical role in sustaining long-term shopper loyalty, defending share from digital-first challengers, and guiding strategic decisions for suppliers, retailers and regulators.
For more information on how Euromonitor tracks SKU-level pricing and product claims across categories and markets, see our Via page. Download our free report, The future of FMCG e-commerce in 2025, created in partnership with Semrush Traffic & Market, to learn about the evolution of online shopping, and review our e-commerce data and insights to discover new opportunities.