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It should have been just a joke. One like many others that brands use to keep the gears of their networks running. April Fool’s Day was the perfect excuse to joke with customers. Inspired by the logomania that led luxury and fast fashion brands to use and abuse their logos in their collections, Lidl Germany decided to imagine a pair of sneakers with their own colors.
As soon as it hit the networks, the fictional couple did what they were told and what the marketing department imagined: it generated a wave of positive comments and reactions. So positive that, at the end of the day, the game started to take root. If they were real, would customers be willing to buy them?
Lidl even went on to produce a limited collection that fans sold out within hours. As soon as they disappeared from the shelves, they ended up on eBay, where they reached prices close to two thousand euros.
April Fool has turned out to be a potential millionaire idea. “To respond to the wishes of customers, in a democratic and accessible way, Lidl has bet on the launch of a Fan Collection, with more items than just sneakers, including socks, slippers and T-shirts,” the manager of the chain told NiT.
Arriving in 2020, in a year marked by a pandemic, eternal confinement and fleeting trips to shops and restaurants, the collection that began as a joke has led thousands of people to queue in supermarkets across Europe.
With a kind of magic shot (or is it marketing?), The chain has also become a symbol of fashion. This title, while disputed by many, doesn’t hide the fact that in any space, from Germany to Portugal, it was authentically blown away by customers trying to grab their piece.
This time around, the coveted products weren’t plush toys or toys for children. Now it was really a matter of adults and, of course, it got serious. So serious that the phenomenon has given rise to a new wave of speculation in the digital resale and auction markets, with prices reaching exorbitant values. There were also those who tried to sell a pair of sneakers for a value 100 times higher than what Lidl has put on the label.
The phenomenon that attacked Europe in the summer arrived in Portugal this Monday, November 30, and the result was no different from that seen in other countries. “The collection has been a phenomenon in all the countries where Lidl is present and which received the collection before Lidl Portugal. In our case, we predicted that it could have the same success “, they reveal,
Although there was no trace of wild hunting in the aisles of the shops, the pieces quickly disappeared, only to fall at the feet of dozens of influencers or in the search engines of digital markets at pornographic prices.
The madness of summer
Even with the ghost of a pandemic recently arriving in Europe, which brought a still mysterious disease, hundreds of Finns wanted to line the doors of their nearest Lidl. As soon as the clock came at eight and the doors opened, almost everyone walked over to the same shelf to try and grab a pair of colorful Lidl trainers.
“The shelves were empty in less than 10 seconds,” a customer told Finnish newspaper “Foreigner”. The scenario was repeated a little by all the shops in the country.
Which Covid? The Finns have also gone mad
That week in April followed the second wave of the Lidl phenomenon. In view of so much demand, some realized it would be a good opportunity to do business and decided to resell the components on the Internet at prices well above the purchase price.
Two months later, it was the turn of Germans, Belgians and Dutch to let go of Covid-19 – and a couple of euros – to guarantee the brand’s colorful clothes. The values in the shadow market have reached even more absurd values. They even asked for 1,500 euros for the pair of sneakers which in Germany cost 12.99 euros.
On November 16th, the Lidl Fan Collection reached 660 stores of Italian brands. The fever recurred and the available supplies disappeared from the stores within hours.
In England it has come to absurdity. An eBay shopper, certainly one who didn’t make it to the shelves in time, gave away over € 3,300 for a package that included a pair of sneakers and a pair of socks. The original price? For only € 19.
The success also reflects the brand’s smart campaign on social networks, which relied heavily on advertising through product promotion by influencers. It just so happened that Scott Gold, in love with sneakers and a marketing consultant who helped in the brand’s Finnish campaign, was surprised by the success.
Despite the skepticism, the models were distributed by public figures and influencers, who shared the images. “The reception was 50-50. Some liked the sneakers a lot, while others thought it was just a joke. “
“I never imagined they could have this popularity. The site could not accept so many orders and people were going to the shops, ”he revealed in an interview with“ Ilta-Sanomat ”, to whom he stressed the concern over the non-compliance with the distance rules.
Even during the pandemic, there are already cases of second waves of this Lidl fever. Although the unprecedented launch in France has been postponed due to confinement – the arrival was due to take place on November 14 -, a new stock has been announced in Belgium, for sale only online. And it goes without saying what happened: it sold out in a few hours. This time without queuing or running.
The collection
When the small supermarket chain was created in 1930, few would have expected that nearly 100 years later it would have more than ten thousand stores around the world. Much less would you be successful with a streetwear line inspired by your logo.
They called it Lidl Fan Collection and it was one of the highlights of the supermarket’s most recent catalog. Inside, options for wearing the brand from head to toe. In addition to the already famous sneakers that cost 14.99 euros – with a high white sole, with mesh details, and which reflect the colors of the Lidl logo in a look similar to that of the Nike Huarache -, there were also two models of socks.
The collection was entitled to full honors
With a sporty, white design, one displayed the original logo, while the other bet on the hashtag that gives the collection its name. Each pack costs € 3.99. For the feet, another success: two versions of bath slippers, one more colorful, the other in black and white. Both sold for € 4.99.
Finally, the t-shirts, in a female version – one white and one pink – and male – in a black and white version. On the label the price of 4.99 euros. Despite only betting on four pieces, the collection guarantees you to dress completely in Lidl for only 34 €.
The arrival in Portugal
The traditional brochure announced with great fanfare the arrival of the collection in Portugal this Monday 30 November. And despite the fact that there were no signs of madness and running through the aisles of 245 stores across the country, the truth is that the yellow, blue and red logo quickly invaded social networks.
Among the most sought after, sneakers and socks. And although not all products have been sold out – the brand assures NiT that there are still products available in some of its stores – the truth is that the frenzy has corresponded to the expectations of the brand which, even at reduced hours, recorded a ” Above-average sales in just two days ”.
First came the influencers. Then, public figures. Finally, mere mortals. All are rigorously equipped, with white socks with the square logo, some accompany the beach slippers, others the trendy sneakers.
If others do, Portugal is no different. After the rush for the parts, they quickly ended up on eBay and OLX. There are also those who dare to ask for a thousand euros for the pair of sneakers that cost just 14.99 euros. Others, less optimistic, ranged between € 150 and € 500.
Stone or Salazar: Who Wore Better?
Along the way, comments of sharp irony and many, indeed many memes. The colorful sneakers ended up on Sharon Stone’s feet in the famous scene from “Instinto Fatal”, while the slippers comforted the tired feet of António de Oliveira Salazar, sitting on his sofa. In the center, a queen of England awaiting the opening of Lidl.
The most peculiar aspect of the whole phenomenon is not even the success it gets among regular and casual customers. It is that the already famous plush and miniatures campaigns that captivate the kids who drag their parents through the aisles of the German brand’s shops, make an indissoluble couple with the promotions that fill the flyers every week.
And for those who are waiting for more pieces from the Fan Collection already in the next brochure, unfortunately they will have to wait. Lidl does not engage in new releases and reissues, while ensuring that it is attentive to “new trends” and “customer adhesion”. In other words: the performance is “analyzed”.
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