🚨Use what Aldi uses to lure endless customers in

Must be crazy if you thought I was taking Labor Day off. I do hope you took the day off, though.

The Main Thing today is simple. It shows you how marketers now have the chance to lean into a tactic that makes Aldi a pile of profits. It’s a simple angle anyone can use, but 90% of marketers don’t take advantage of it.

Then, you can nibble on Monday Marketing News between your Labor Day nap sessions.

The Main Thing

A Little Mystery Brings Customers to You

A few months back, I wrote about Aldi’s aisle of shame. The aisle is a hot mess of random items that no CMO would advise a company to offer. Yet, this aisle brings in heavy profits.

Why? The mystery of what’ll be there. That’s what draws customers to the aisle. Heck, it lures in shoppers who are not even grocery shopping! 

These folks just want a shot at a good deal, a unique item, or want to kill some time. 

There are lots of ways you can use this as a marketer or business owner. I’ll focus on the randomness part. The mystery.

Use mystery and randomness in your content marketing, ads, social media posts, etc. because it’s appealing to shoppers. 

This way, you don’t have to be the smartest marketer with the slickest copy or most brilliant ideas. All you have to do is be a little different so your messaging stands out.

And right now, in September of 2025, it has never been easier to stand out. Why?

AI Sameness is All Over the Internet

I usually make fun of all the cookie-cutter stuff I see that’s plainly “created” by AI tools like ChatGPT. At this point, though, I feel sorry for the folks pumping that stuff out. 

They must be super-busy and have no time to write their own content and no time to even edit what their little robot wrote. If they did, they’d change up at least some of the wording so it doesn’t look like every other piece of content being pumped out!

All you have to do to add mystery and randomness to your marketing is NOT let AI write all your content.

And don’t let it come up with all the ideas. 

I’d prefer a messy human idea than one GPT spat out (which is not original since it’s the average of what’s already on the web).

Now, even if you don’t believe you can profit like Aldi does with a little randomness in your marketing, maybe this will convince you.

Recommerce is a 64-Billion-Dollar Industry

The U.S. recommerce market is projected to hit $64.29 billion by 2025, growing at 11.2% annually, and reaching $91.97 billion by 2029 (Global Newswire).

Why do people love to shop in thrift stores? Why do they like hunting bargains on gently used products? 

Because they don’t know what they’ll find. It’s like a treasure hunt. A random treasure hunt full of mystery. 

They might find something cool and nostalgic. Maybe they’ll get lucky and find a valuable collectible for two bucks. 

This has been studied, folks. A sense of mystery is what’s generating a big chunk of that 64 billion dollars. 

You have the chance to use this anytime you want in your marketing. All you have to do is NOT be like everyone else right now. They’re letting AI make their copy and social media posts look no different than anyone else's. 

So, what incentive does a consumer have to read a post or click on an ad that looks the same as everything else on the web currently? Zero incentive. 

It’s the perfect chance for you to stand out and grab their attention. 

Because AI has made marketers lazy. 

If you haven’t noticed this sameness. I suggest you read LinkedIn for 60 minutes. The sameness will repulse you. Or at least make you a little queasy. 

Do something about it. Introduce some randomness to your content, ads, offers, and social media posts. 

You don’t have to necessarily be “better” than other marketers or have better ideas. 

All you have to do is do the unexpected. Offer your target audience the mystery they’re craving. 

Alright. Onto Monday Marketing News, including intel on the booming knock-off product economy.

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Please share Inbox Hacking with a fellow marketing go-getter or business owner. I appreciate you reading & sharing.

Shane McLendon - Copy Kingpin

20% of U.S. adults are interested in getting financial advice from AI (WSJ)