Aldi's Latest Fan Favorites Survey Shows That TikTok Is Driving Purchases

Long-time Aldi customers have praised the grocery chain for its affordable prices, its "twice as nice" customer service, and, of course, its many different products. So beloved is Aldi's stock that the company has seen fit to announce yearly "fan favorites" to showcase customers' most-loved items. And social media plays a big role in determining the best of the best.

As a July 25 press release details, this year's "Fan Favorites" survey includes a brand-new category: "TikTok Made Me Buy It." Created as part of the growing attention Aldi is getting online, this category is dedicated to products that have been heavily featured by TikTok users. The winner in this category is Friendly Farms cottage cheese, thanks to the cheese's FoodTok popularity.

Aldi even noted that there's a direct correlation between how often a product is featured on the social media site and how much of it is sold in-store.

According to Aldi's press release, TikTok's role in influencing what customers buy is not to be understated. Ever since the Friendly Farms cottage cheese was featured as part of a TikTok trend, cottage cheese sales at Aldi jumped by more than 14%.

For example, registered dietitian Steph Grasso, MS, RD, featured Aldi's Friendly Farms-brand cottage cheese in a TikTok video detailing the health benefits of cottage cheese, which was posted in partnership with Aldi. She noted that the Friendly Farms version was one of her top three favorite cottage cheeses. 

Another Friendly Farms product that garnered a noticeable amount of attention in Aldi's survey was its low-sugar Greek yogurt. TikTok user @HannahHammesFit noted that the Friendly Farms Greek yogurt has only 2 grams of sugar and no fat while containing an impressive 14 grams of protein. Although Aldi didn't give an exact figure for how high its Greek yogurt sales had climbed, the product earned the "Rookie of the Year" distinction in the "Fan Favorites" survey.