Time is running out for shoppers to collect Coles bite-sized mini collectable toys.
The addictive Little Shop retail marketing promotion has proven a huge hit for the supermarket giant, attracting children (and their parents) in their droves to spend $30 and be rewarded with a collectable memento.
The 30 collectable items include mini Tim Tams, Colgate, Weet-Bix, Vegemite, Milo and more. How brands get to feature as a collectable is not yet clear, but AdNews has put questions to Coles.
The promo campaign proved so successful that Coles extended it from a finishing date of 28 August until 11 September and already warned to be quick or risk missing out.
The collectables are so popular that some collectors have taken to eBay to flog them for up to $500 (see below).
A Facebook group ‘Coles Little Shop – Minis Swap Group Australia’ has 23,300 members and there have been reports of Little Shop scandals involving Coles employees across the country.
In the northern NSW coastal town of Yamba, a Coles employee was overheard boasting about stealing the highly prized collectables cases before they could even hit supermarket aisles.
But has all the craze around Little Shop toys helped Coles boost sales? It would appear so, according to its biggest rival.
Woolworths recently blamed the promotion for a poor start to its 2019 financial year, with Q1 sales down 1.3% year-on-year.
“Sales have been impacted by customers adjusting to the phasing-out of single-use plastic bags, a competitor continuity program (Little Shop), meat and fruit and vegetable deflation, and the cycling of our successful Earn and Learn program in the prior year,” Woolworths group chief executive Brad Banducci said.
Fans flag Woolies as an option for mini baskets after Coles ran out
Is all press good press?
Some fans are not happy with having too many mini Oak drinks.
The secret to the success of the campaign, according to SBS show The Feed, is simple: pester power.
Check out the gallery below of passionate Coles fans discussing the craze and of course the many brand names that they need or are keen to swap.
AdNews has approached Coles for more details about the sucess of the campaign.
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