ALDI SÜD’s Folder Freeze: what happens when you stop door-to-door?

As retailers across Europe reconsider their reliance on printed folders, the industry is watching closely to see what happens when door-to-door distribution is paused—or stopped entirely.

In recent months, several major players have made bold moves:

• Lidl Belgium and Praxis Nederland stopped their printed folders
• Fressnapf announced it would restart its distribution
• ALDI SÜD tested the impact by switching off its folder distribution in one specific German region
• ALDI Belgium continues to believe strongly in printed communication, citing its importance to price-conscious consumers and its strategic role in the marketing mix

But the big question remains: what happens when you stop distributing the folder?

While cost and sustainability arguments often dominate these decisions, few retailers know the actual business impact on visitor behaviour, loyalty, or competitive shifts. A recent article from RetailTrends quotes Jonne Guyt, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Amsterdam:

“Retailers often don’t know what the effects of their folder distribution are.”

In light of recent shifts in the retail landscape, with several major players rethinking their door-to-door strategies, we revisited an earlier analysis from 2024. In this study, Accurat examined the case of ALDI SÜD, which paused its folder distribution in the Frankfurt–Butzbach region. We compared visitor behaviour after the stop (September–November 2024) with the months leading up to the change (March–July 2024) to assess the real-world impact on store performance.

With CampaignCompass, we translated these regional trends into measurable insights—highlighting what retailers stand to lose or gain when changing course on door-to-door communication.

4. Visit frequency fell by more than 20%

The number of visits per shopper (frequency) also declined significantly. We noticed a decline of more than 20% in no-folder areas, whereas the number of visits per shopper remained stable where folders continued.

These changes in visit rhythm may seem small on a weekly basis, but across a year and customer base, they can represent a major difference in store performance and spend per household.

Insights in Context

Besides winning customers, this case study confirms that door-to-door distribution still has measurable value, especially in:

• Retaining loyal customers
• Stimulating repeat visits
• Defending against competitive switching

With so many retailers currently debating whether to scale back or reinvent their folder strategies, having real behavioural insights is more important than ever.

Read how we do it 👉: https://accurat.ai/blog/how-to-measure-door-to-door-impact