Supermarket essentials ordered through quick delivery apps are 11% more expensive on average than in-store prices, without taking delivery fees into account, according to a new analysis from Choice.
Individual items can face markups of 40%, the consumer advocacy group found, highlighting how convenience can come with significant extra costs.
Including delivery fees, a standard shop could cost up to 39% more compared to simply stepping in-store.
The findings come from Choice‘s new investigation into third-party delivery options for Woolworths, Coles, and Aldi, published on Thursday.
“If you do choose to use one of these rapid delivery services, it’s important to be aware that the extra costs won’t just be in the delivery and service fees, something that isn’t always obvious,” wrote Choice editorial consultant Margaret Rafferty.
While Woolworths and Coles offer their own online order delivery services, with groceries generally delivered within 24 hours, Woolworths’ own Milkrun, and platforms like Uber Eats and DoorDash, offer faster store-to-doorstep deliveries.
Those quick deliveries work in a pinch, allowing shoppers to quickly and conveniently pick up last-minute ingredients or emergency supplies.
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The apps charge delivery fees, which many shoppers are comfortable paying: Choice cites Statista figures showing more than 30% of Australian consumers use those services.
But the price of items also changes depending on whether they are bought through the app or in-store, in ways that are less apparent to at-home shoppers.
To test the price difference, Choice compared the prices of a 13-item basket bought in-app or in-store.
For Woolworths, prices were 8% higher when purchased through Milkrun, and 12% dearer through Uber Eats.
Coles saw a 13% cost increase through DoorDash and 12% through Uber Eats.
Aldi, which does not offer a ‘traditional’ delivery option, had 7% higher prices through DoorDash.
Some items are significantly more costly when ordered through a third-party app: a four-pack of Coles ice cream cones was $1.55, or 42% dearer when purchased through DoorDash than in-store.
Including delivery fees (Choice did not build membership discounts into its calculations), those baskets were between 20% and 39% pricier than purchasing in-store.
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DoorDash notes item prices may be higher than in-store on its app and website, but Choice said that information was less clear on Uber Eats and Milkrun.
The report comes alongside Choice‘s regular analysis of supermarket pricing, a project funded by the federal government.
Its quarterly pricing report covers prices across Woolworths, Coles, Aldi, and IGA stores, tallying the cost of an average basket of groceries over time.
Its most recent report, published in June, found Aldi offered the cheapest basket overall, sans special deals, at $55.35.
It was followed by Woolworths at $58.92, Coles at $59.22, and IGA at $69.74.