We asked over 2000 consumers for their thoughts on the outlets where they’ve recently bought appliances
Respondents were asked to rate different parts of the shopping experience, both online and instore
Appliances Online, Winnings and e&s were favourites, while Temu, Kmart and Officeworks scored poorly
Appliances Online, Winnings and e&s have again been named Australia’s favourite places to shop for appliances and electronics.
Temu, Kmart, Officeworks and Bunnings, meanwhile, are our least favourite, according to a new CHOICE survey of Australian shoppers who have recently bought these products.
The data shows that while several retail brands have improved their performance in multiple areas, consumers think they could still do better.
Shopper stories laid bare
We reached out to 2704 CHOICE members and supporters who had bought appliances or electronics in the last 12 months and asked them how they had found this experience.
Consumers who had bought from a bricks and mortar store were asked how good or bad different aspects of their shop had been, including the range of products on offer, prices and customer service.
Those who had made their purchase online were asked similar questions, along with queries about whether the design of the website and level of detail provided on products had been to their liking.
We reached out to 2704 CHOICE members and supporters who had bought appliances or electronics in the last 12 months
We also asked whether shoppers had encountered any of the issues that commonly crop up during bigger purchases, from being upsold unnecessary extras or being refused a remedy for a faulty item, to stock not being available or long waits for service.
Winnings, e&s, Retravision, Bing Lee and Betta were rated as having the best instore shopping experience overall.
These outlets won praise for their customer service and for offering a more personalised experience.
Shoppers also appreciated the layout and appearance of these stores, their range and home delivery of products.
Harvey Norman scored third-lowest on value for money and was also the outlet most likely to try to sell customers an extended warranty
The results show e&s, Winnings and Retravision have continued to keep customers happy in the two years since our last appliance survey, where they recorded similarly high scores.
Bigger chains like The Good Guys, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi were in the middle of the pack when it came to instore experience.
Respondents appreciated their openness to negotiating on price, but had issues with how products were stocked at these stores, complaining about them being cluttered and not having the items they wanted.
Harvey Norman scored third-lowest on value for money and was also the outlet most likely to try to sell customers an extended warranty.
Such observations come after CHOICE previously found many extended warranties offer no more rights than those you already get for free under Australian Consumer Law.
Kmart, Aldi, Officeworks, Bunnings and Big W were rated as offering the worst experiences for in-person shopping for appliances and electronics.
While consumers appreciated the lower prices most of these chains offered and went in with low expectations anyway, they still came out disappointed, noting poor customer support, store layouts and after-sale service.
Officeworks was ranked second-lowest after Bunnings on value for money and its customers were the most likely to have to wait a long time for service in-store.
Not being able to find what you’re after was a common bugbear for Kmart shoppers, who were most likely to be unimpressed with the range of products they encountered.
Text-only accessible version
Best instore shops for appliances in 2026
Overall scores
E&S Trading 89% Winning Appliances 86% Retravision 84% Bing Lee 82% Betta 82% JB Hi-Fi 75% The Good Guys 74% Harvey Norman 74% Myer 72% Big W 69% Bunnings 68% Officeworks 68% Aldi 67% Kmart 66%
Range of products and brands available
E&S Trading 89% Winning Appliances 89% Retravision 81% Bing Lee 79% Betta 76% JB Hi-Fi 79% The Good Guys 78% Harvey Norman 80% Myer 76% Big W 62% Bunnings 73% Officeworks 72% Aldi 55% Kmart 58%
Value for money
E&S Trading 83% Winning Appliances 79% Retravision 85% Bing Lee 77% Betta 77% JB Hi-Fi 74% The Good Guys 77% Harvey Norman 71% Myer 73% Big W 72% Bunnings 68% Officeworks 70% Aldi 77% Kmart 77%
Customer service
E&S Trading 90% Winning Appliances 90% Retravision 87% Bing Lee 83% Betta 86% JB Hi-Fi 77% The Good Guys 76% Harvey Norman 76% Myer 71% BigW 57% Bunnings 66% Officeworks 65% Aldi 50% Kmart 51%
After-sales service
E&S Trading N/A Winning Appliances N/A Retravision N/A Bing Lee N/A Betta 80% JB Hi-Fi 74% The Good Guys 73% Harvey Norman 69% Myer N/A BigW N/A Bunnings 76% Officeworks 65% Aldi 64% Kmart N/A
Delivery
E&S Trading 90% Winning Appliances 88% Retravision N/A Bing Lee 81% Betta 86% JB Hi-Fi 77% The Good Guys 75% Harvey Norman 77% Myer N/A BigW N/A Bunnings 72% Officeworks 73% Aldi N/A Kmart N/A
Deals, specials and discounts
E&S Trading 81% Winning Appliances 84% Retravision 83% Bing Lee 76% Betta 76% JB Hi-Fi 74% The Good Guys 77% Harvey Norman 72% Myer 76% BigW 66% Bunnings 57% Officeworks 64% Aldi 76% Kmart 67%
Store appearance & layout
E&S Trading 90% Winning Appliances 92% Retravision 81% Bing Lee 75% Betta 77% JB Hi-Fi 67% The Good Guys 75% Harvey Norman 76% Myer 75% BigW 68% Bunnings 69% Officeworks 72% Aldi 63% Kmart 63%
The best and worst retailers for shopping online
For the fourth survey in a row, Appliances Online offered the best online shopping experience, with shoppers praising the outlet for its strengths in product delivery and customer service.
The Australian arm of global marketplace Amazon also rated well across a number of areas and was on par with Appliances Online for product range, delivery and ease of return.
Consumers rewarded both outlets for also having websites and platforms that were easy to use.
Sentiments were less positive towards rival marketplace Ebay – customers were unhappy with its return processes and the after-sale service they had received from vendors selling on the platform.
Kogan also had issues with its customer service, and shoppers were skeptical of the reliability of bigger purchases made through the site.
Online experiences from traditional bricks-and-mortar shops
Survey respondents were also asked about their experiences with the websites of retailers that also have physical outlets and feelings towards these were a similarly mixed bag.
Click and collect arrangements organised through the websites of stores like The Good Guys, JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman were praised when they worked.
But these became a source of frustration when the product wasn’t actually available, staff couldn’t find the order, or customer service was hard to reach.
Concern about the reliability of vendors was a consistent theme in responses to all marketplaces, including Amazon and Ebay.
These platforms are different to traditional retailers, in that they allow many different manufacturers to sell directly to consumers.
But consumers were most cautious about Temu – this newcomer- quickly-turned-global discount giant scored the lowest of all online outlets for overall shopping experience.
Shoppers appreciated Temu’s cheap prices, but were worried about the quality of products sold on the site, with some saying they would never buy appliances through the platform.
In addition to rating retailers, consumers provided insights into how businesses could make shopping for appliances and electronics smoother.
A previous good experience, especially with helpful and knowledgeable sales staff, has emerged as crucial to people choosing where they’ll shop, with prices and range often secondary considerations.
A good instore experience is driven by people and advice – respondents want helpful staff with good product knowledge, price matching services and reliable post-purchase support.
Feelings about online outlets, meanwhile, were swayed by delivery, stock accuracy, product information, return policies and whether a transaction feels safe.
To that end, and to help soothe concerns about risky products being sold through online marketplaces especially, CHOICE has been calling for a general safety provision that stops unsafe items from being sold in the first place.
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Liam Kennedy is a Journalist with the Editorial and investigations team. He answers consumers' most burning questions, from which scams to be aware of and how to save money, to whether new services and products are worth using and how the latest developments in consumer news could affect them.
Prior to CHOICE, Liam worked in production in daily news radio and podcasting.
Liam has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney. LinkedIn
Liam Kennedy is a Journalist with the Editorial and investigations team. He answers consumers' most burning questions, from which scams to be aware of and how to save money, to whether new services and products are worth using and how the latest developments in consumer news could affect them.
Prior to CHOICE, Liam worked in production in daily news radio and podcasting.
Liam has a Bachelor of Communication (Journalism) and a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology Sydney. LinkedIn
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