Walmart leads YouGov survey, but Amazon’s popularity is growing with young people

Walmart remains the most popular player among grocery shoppers, but one very famous retailer is moving up in those ranks—Amazon.

Walmart topped the 2025 popularity rankings of public opinion and data company YouGov, which surveyed more than 22,000 Americans about their perceptions of 34 national and regional brands. Meanwhile, Amazon has gained significant ground with grocery shoppers, with 12% of U.S. adults favoring the grocer / retailer. That may not sound like a lot, but that number represents a 48% increase from last year, and Amazon Fresh also saw the highest preference numbers among Gen Z (25.8%) and Millennials (21.5%).

Walmart led the rankings with 63.3% of respondents saying they would consider the brand for their next shopping trip, according to the survey, released Tuesday. The Bentonville, Ark.-based retailer also led in value with a net score of 42.0. Target ranked second with 42.5%, while Aldi placed third with 32.8%.

“Amid rising food prices and the shift toward delivery, the grocery shopping preferences and expectations of American consumers are evolving,” said Kenton Barello, vice president at YouGov America. “While Walmart remains the dominant grocery shopping destination nationwide, the rise of Amazon Fresh will challenge traditional brands.”

Amazon has recently put pressure on grocery leaders. In October 2024, the company launched its newest grocery concept, Amazon Grocery, in Chicago. Amazon Grocery is a smaller store—at 3,800 square feet—that caters to shoppers looking for a quick trip. In early March, Amazon also restructured its corporate teams for grocery and convenience store brands, signaling a stronger push in the grocery sector. Amazon currently operates 63 Amazon Fresh grocery stores and a dozen Amazon Go stores.

Meanwhile, Target’s No. 2 ranking is good news for the Minneapolis-based retailer, which has faced backlash from shoppers after stepping back from Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) policies. A one-day boycott happened on Feb. 28, and there is currently a 40-day standoff with disgruntled customers unhappy with Target’s DEI stance.

YouGov’s U.S. grocery store brand rankings 2025 also found the following differences in shopping attitudes and habits across generations:

- Gen Z are most likely to say grocery shopping is boring (40.5%) and only buy what they need when visiting the supermarket (59.5%)- Millennials are most likely to say they like to plan their weekly shop (61.9%), and prefer shopping “little and often” instead of “big and less often” (51.1%)

• Gen X are most likely to look for the lowest prices when they go shopping (78%), but also buy things not on their shopping list (63.4%)

  
  

• ⁃ Baby Boomers are least likely to make Saturday their regular shopping day (10.7%), but are the ones always looking for special deals (84.7%)

Source: Supermarket News