Aldi’s psychological secrets for rapid growth

Jen Clinehens
Choice Hacking
Published in
7 min readNov 29, 2023

--

Aldi — a “limited assortment” discount grocer with a cult following — is the fastest-growing grocer in both the US and the UK.

The brand currently has more than 2,200 locations in the United States and is growing by 100 stores a year, nudging ever closer to rivals like Walmart, Costco, and Kroger.

But even if you’ve never shopped at an Aldi, you’ve likely heard of its quirky customer experience:

  • Bare bones shelves filled with cardboard cases of generic products
  • Owned brands that seem just a little too familiar (a delicious can of Red Bull… I mean Red Thunder, anyone?)
  • Cashiers that scan products faster than The Flash

While some brands might not survive such a… unique store experience, Aldi is thriving due to its rock-bottom prices.

And its quirks just seem to make customers love it more.

But how did this German discount supermarket come out of seemingly nowhere to take over the world?

It’s down to a bit of psychology and behavioral science, of course — applied knowingly, or not, to Aldi’s customer experience…

How Aldi Uses Psychology to Sell

--

--

Jen Clinehens
Choice Hacking

ChoiceHackingIdeas.com // Brands win when they know what makes buyers tick (behavioral science, psychology, AI)