Merry Christmas to everyone with mini collectables

Previous post about the Coles mini shop predicted its success. The promotion caught Woolworth off guard with such an impact that even Woolworth cited in their market report. Now Woolworth and Coles are facing-off with competing miniature collectable promotions for this busy Christmas. Just several days in, I am predicting that the Woolworth promotion will probably gain the upper hand. I list a few key marketing execution issues comparing both below.

Making vs collecting

Christmas is a ‘making’ time as people are enjoying a long deserved holiday with family and friends. With more spare time available, people can enjoy setting up the Christmas trees and decorations, preparing nice meals and doing some interesting DIY projects. The Woolworths promotion is less about collecting but more about introducing a low-cost handcraft projects at home, fitting well with the characteristics of the promotional period.

The Coles promotion which only involves the collecting activities, however, missing a ‘making’ concept.

Variety

Christmas calls for variety just like unlimited number of ornaments one would wish to put on a tree. With paper as the raw material, flat packed, Woolworth promotion is able to include 12 sets of variations (some sets have small independent figures) and can make it easy for its service counters to offer assorted sets if a customer is purchasing a big bulk of goods. As a result, the busy family shoppers who are likely to buy in bulk during Christmas time will get more variety of the sets. Putting together, the sets look great under a consistent Christmas theme and can attract attentions from family visitors as well. In comparison, Coles offered only 5 varieties, made of plastic blocks in different sizes, it is harder for its service counters to assort it and provide multiple unique items for the bulk buyers.

Novelty

When Coles initially brought the mini-shop collectables, the promotion benefited from its relative novelty in the Australian market. However, doing it again in just several months’ time, the novelty is no longer in existence. In comparison, Woolworth made the Christmas sets as mini DIY projects, which are something new to many customers.

Marketing concept of using mini collectables as a short-term customer appeal will be something in marketers’ mind for a long time. Having a good concept is not enough though, I believe that the execution of the campaign requires careful planning and design in detail.

Merry Christmas to all of my readers. I wish you all a very merry Christmas and a prosperous 2019; regardless whether you happen to pick up a Coles mini-shop item or are putting together some lovely Woolworth Christmas sets just like I did.