The campaign 'Shop smart and cheap with Lidl brands! Absolute satisfaction or your money back" was supposed to last over a month. However, it was ended after less than two weeks. The reason? The very general terms and conditions of the action and "clever" Poles who will do anything for a promotion.
The promotion was for Lidl's native brands. According to the terms and conditions, customers could return any product they were not satisfied with and receive a refund. It is unclear whether Lidl had too much faith in the strength of the brand or in consumer honesty. However, the effects of the promotion were certainly not what the brand wanted. Huge queues, lack of cash at the tills, dirty, open packages on the conveyor belt together with unpacked products and, worst of all - from Lidl's point of view - disgruntled consumers complaining about these inconveniences. Lidl had to end the action early and explain itself to the dissatisfied customers.
A comment from a female customer of the Lidl shop chain on the brand's fanpage
But it's been done before...
It would seem that Lidl's marketers should know best how promotion works on the Pole, after their experience with promotional prices for popular handbags. Even then, 'Dantean scenes' took place. In videos made available on the internet, customers can be seen running into shops and snatching the 'luxury' handbags out of each other's hands to buy a few pieces of the promotional product each. The disappointment of some was considerable when they discovered they had purchased a fake. And Lidl... had to make excuses again, this time for the 'sort of luxury' handbags.
What has Lidl lost?
Not every Pole is an 'onion' who thinks how to do business on everything and no matter what. Thus, for many "normal", very often loyal Lidl customers, the sight of pushing, empty shelves, dirty tills or arguments is simply unpalatable and causes them not to return to shop at this shop, but instead to go to its biggest competitor. Potential customers who were supposed to be attracted and convinced by the campaign to native brands will also certainly avoid the besieged and dirty market.
Author of the text: Ewelina J.
