Woolworths Discovery Garden promotion set to flop because customers are sick of collecting
- New spring promotion from Woolworths could flop according to industry expert
- Woolworths launched its Discovery Garden promotion on Wednesday for spring
- The promotion will give free seedling kits to customers who spend over $30
- However an expert has warned collectible fatigue could impact promotion
The highly anticipated Discovery Garden promotion by Woolworths is likely to flop because consumers are tired of collecting, an expert has warned.
The supermarket launches its new campaign in Australia on Wednesday after a similar idea proved successful in New Zealand and South Africa.
Customers will be given a free seedling kit when they spend $30 or more in store and there will be 24 varieties of flower seeds, herbs and vegetables to collect.
However Gary Mortimer, senior lecturer at QUT Business School, in Brisbane, told the Financial Review he doesn't expect the promotion to catch on in the same way as the hugely popular Lion King Ooshie campaign.
He said customers are likely to have become tired of the collecting craze after Coles simultaneously launched its Little Shop 2 collection.
A new Woolworths promotion encouraging people to grow their own vegetables has the potential to flop because of customer fatigue an expert has warned
Woolworths launches its Discovery Garden promotion on Wednesday after a similar idea proved successful in New Zealand and South Africa
'It's probably not going to have the same uplift as Ooshies simply because consumers are now becoming a little fatigued with the collectibles programs,' he said.
'They (Woolworths) had a really strong uplift with Ooshies and ideally they could have left this a year and run it next year. I do feel that we've come off Little Shop and Ooshies and are straight into the next one.'
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Woolworths Group CMO Andrew Hicks said the purpose of Discovery Garden was to educate Australians on the benefits of growing fresh food.
'Learning about fresh food, where it comes from, how it grows, how long it takes to grow, whether it's easy or challenging are all questions that will encourage meaningful discussions at home, at school and even at work,' Mr Hicks said.
Gary Mortimer, senior lecturer at QUT Business School, told the Financial Review he doesn't expect the promotion to catch on in the same way as the Ooshie campaign
Landcare Australia CEO, Dr Shane Norrish echoed Mr Hicks' sentiments.
'A program like the Woolworths Discovery Garden enables children of all ages to learn about biodiversity and how to grow their own food,' he said.
Each seedling kit comes in a cardboard wrapper with useful information and instructions.
The seed identifying label is also made from cardboard while the pot is made from plant fibres and the soil pellet is made of coconut husk.
