The campaign “Clever and cheap shopping for Lidl brands! Absolute satisfaction or your money back” was supposed to last more than a month. However, it ended after less than two weeks. The reason? A very general campaign regulation and “clever” Poles who will do anything for a promotion.The promotion concerned Lidl’s domestic brands. According to the rules, customers could return any product they were not satisfied with and receive a refund. It’s unclear whether Lidl trusted the brand strength too much or consumer honesty. However, the promotion’s results were certainly not desired by the brand. Huge queues, no cash in registers, dirty, open packages on the conveyor belt alongside unopened products, and worst of all – from Lidl’s perspective – dissatisfied consumers complaining about these inconveniences. Lidl had to end the campaign early and apologize to unhappy customers.
Comment from a Lidl store network customer on the brand’s fan page
But that already happened…One would think that Lidl’s marketers should know best how Polish consumers react to promotions, based on previous experiences with promotional prices of popular bags. Back then, “chaotic scenes” occurred. In videos shared online, you can see customers rushing into stores and fighting over “luxury” bags to buy several promotional items. Many were quite disappointed when they discovered they had bought a counterfeit. And Lidl… had to explain again, this time about the “so-called luxury” bags.What did Lidl lose?Not every Pole is a “stingy person” thinking about how to make a profit on everything at any cost. Therefore, for many “normal,” often loyal Lidl customers, witnessing pushing, empty shelves, dirty checkout counters, or arguments is simply distasteful and causes them not to return to shopping at that store but instead to choose its biggest competitor. Potential customers whom the campaign aimed to attract and convince to buy domestic brands will surely also avoid the overcrowded and dirty market.
Text author: Ewelina J.
