How Who Gives A Crap turned limited editions into a retail growth engine

Who Gives A Crap is turning limited-edition collections into a deliberate growth and impact strategy, using bold seasonal design and powerhouse retail partners like Aldi and Woolworths to recruit new shoppers and deepen loyalty. “Limited editions have become a core part of our brand strategy,” Kat Kearney, Who Gives A Crap brand director, told Inside Retail.According to Kearney, these drops are designed to “create novelty, instant desire, and deeper engagement with our brand” while helping the business donate 50 per cent of profits to clean water and toilet projects worldwide.These seasonal drops are evolving from one-off “nice-to-haves” into a core growth engine, driving faster sell-through, higher loyalty and stronger brand visibility in the notoriously low-engagement toilet paper aisle. Turning drops into a growth engineThe Sweet Edition, a confectionery-inspired take on Who Gives A Crap’s 100 per cent bamboo toilet paper, has become the brand’s best-performing Aldi Special Buy to date in terms of sell-through speed. Over the last seven Aldi Special Buys, the company’s limited editions have delivered 14 per cent growth, signalling that scarcity, design and timing are working together to create genuine demand, not just one-off hype. At the same time, the brand has recorded 21 per cent year-on-year growth in Woolworths over the past 12 months, powered by repeat purchases and strong brand loyalty. Digital has been a powerful layer on top: online sales at Woolworths have grown 72 per cent year on year, far outpacing the broader toilet paper category and reinforcing that once shoppers discover the brand, they tend to stick with it.Instant desire around seasonal momentsBrand director Kat Kearney describes limited editions as a way to “create instant desire and delight through design” using each drop as a canvas for playful storytelling rather than just another pack refresh. For The Sweet Edition, the team “literally leaned into it being a treat,” collaborating with illustrators Ashley Ronning, Paulina Ho and Alice Oehr to cover the rolls in patterns inspired by festive sweets, transforming the case into a gingerbread house that shoppers can happily leave on display. This approach has turned festive collections into anticipated fixtures on the customer calendar, with sell-outs building year on year as shoppers learn they need to get in quick.Beyond aesthetics, the wrappers often find a second life as alternative wrapping paper, reinforcing the brand’s sustainable, waste-conscious positioning in a joyful way. Retail partners as discovery and loyalty enginesKearney said retail partnerships with giants like Aldi and Woolworths are incredibly important to the brand’s growth strategy because they dramatically expand reach and availability, while creating new opportunities for trial through promotions and in-store activations. In Aldi, limited-edition Special Buys not only sell quickly, but also lift the baseline sales of the core range afterwards, with a 4 per cent increase in units per store per week compared to last year – a clear signal that once shoppers trial the product, many become repeat buyers. In Woolworths, Who Gives A Crap is now one of the most loyal brands in the toilet paper category, ranking second for shopper loyalty, which Kearney attributes to a mix of strong onboarding of new customers and exceptional retention. By showing up in mainstream supermarkets with disruptive designs, the brand can “wake up” shoppers who might otherwise sleepwalk down the aisle and grab the same pack they always do. Limited editions as a profit-for-purpose leverLimited-edition drops are not just a design exercise; they sit at the heart of Who Gives A Crap’s profit-for-purpose model. The company’s goal is to give everyone access to clean water and a toilet by donating 50 per cent of profits, and Kearney is clear that “to reach our mission… we need to bring more bums on board” with limited editions acting as a key recruitment and engagement tool. Since launching the first special collection in 2014, limited editions have helped the brand stand out in a crowded category, build “huge customer love” and win creative awards, all while driving incremental value across online and retail. Co-creating future collections with communityCustomer feedback is increasingly shaping the evolution of the limited-edition strategy. The brand’s community frequently shares how they style and reuse packaging via messages, comments and user-generated content, from decorating bathrooms to repurposing wrappers as gift wrap, and those insights flow directly into creative briefs for upcoming collections. In response to popular demand, Who Gives A Crap has begun re-releasing fan favourites such as the Poetry Edition, acknowledging the collectable nature of these ranges and the emotional connection customers form with them. Looking ahead, Kearney sees future drops continuing to disrupt the aisle with designs that balance a simple, eye-catching hook with layers of discovery and, in some cases, deeper social or environmental messages.For Who Gives A Crap, The Sweet Edition is more than a seasonal success story; it is proof that limited editions, when amplified through strategic retail partnerships, can simultaneously delight shoppers, strengthen loyalty and accelerate impact. As the brand refines its playbook across Aldi, Woolworths and online, each new drop represents another chance to turn everyday essentials into an engine for global change.Further reading: ‘Just the beginning’: Who Gives A Crap founder on rise of ethical retail.