Retail giant Woolworths emerges as the top-recommended shopping outlet in South Africa, according to a recent study.
Woolworths Tops as Most Recommended Retailer in South Africa
In a recent study conducted by KLA, YouGov, and BrandIndex, Woolworths has been named as the most recommended retailer in South Africa for 2025. The ranking, considered a powerful indicator of trust in the Woolworths brand, is primarily due to its strong reputation for quality products, exceptional customer service, and the trust it has built with shoppers over many decades.
According to the study, over 85% of Woolies shoppers confirmed they would recommend Woolworths Food, Woolworths Clothing, or Woolworths Home. Woolworths Food had an 88.1% recommendation rate, and Woolworths Clothing 86.7%.
Key reasons behind this high recommendation include the consistent delivery of high-quality, well-curated products across food, clothing, beauty, and home categories, driven by a focus on meeting customer expectations. Woolworths' strong customer experience and service, supported by its commitment to going beyond customer expectations, also played a significant role.
The study also highlighted Woolworths' market-leading online sales growth. Woolworths Dash on-demand food delivery grew by 41.6%, and overall online food sales increased by 32.9%, providing greater convenience for shoppers.
Despite facing financial and restructuring challenges, Woolworths managed 9.4% overall turnover growth and above-market food sales growth (11%) during subdued consumer sentiment and inflationary pressure. This indicates strong consumer loyalty and operational effectiveness.
In addition to its retail success, Woolworths has also been recognised as one of the Most Admired South African Brands by Brand Africa in 2025 and among the World’s Most Trustworthy Companies by Newsweek in 2024.
Samsung was ranked second among the most recommended brands in South Africa for 2025 with a recommendation rate of 88.9%. Woolworths Food was ranked third, Woolworths Clothing fourth, and Woolworths Home fifth among the most recommended brands.
The rankings were based on data collected over a twelve-month period, with each day seeing over 560 interviews conducted to reveal customer attitudes and perceptions towards the brands they shop regularly. The data was collected by asking respondents which brands they would recommend to a friend or colleague.
In summary, Woolworths' high recommendation status in 2025 stems from its trusted brand reputation, quality products, innovative service offerings, and ability to maintain customer loyalty even in difficult economic times.
- Woolworths' strong performance in the 'home-and-garden' category also resulted in a high recommendation rate, with Woolworths Home ranked fifth among the most recommended brands in South Africa.
- The news of Woolworths' success extends beyond the retail sector, as the brand was named among the World’s Most Trustworthy Companies by Newsweek in 2024.
- Alongside general-news updates, it is worth noting that Samsung was ranked second among the most recommended brands in South Africa for 2025, only slightly behind Woolworths Food, which secured the third position.
