Woolworths appears to have learned a thing or two from the unprecedented success of Coles’ Little Shop promotion. On Wednesday, the supermarket giant launched its own Christmas campaign to lure shoppers through the doors.

Woolworths Christmas Pop-Outs include 12 Christmas-themed cardboard characters that shoppers can build themselves. The characters ‘pop-out’ of a cardboard frame and shoppers can follow the instructions at the bottom of the board to build them.

Customers can collect Santa, reindeer, elves, gingerbread men, snowmen and other characters with every $30 spent on eligible purchases in-store or online.

Three characters will be released each week for the next four weeks, and a collector Christmas tree stand to house the characters will be available to purchase for $3.

Unlike Coles’ Little Shop, which featured miniature plastic grocery items, eco-conscious shoppers will be glad to hear that Woolworths’ pop-outs are fully recyclable and Australian-made.

Customers will also be able to see the characters they are getting to help avoid duplication or disappointment and to minimise waste.

Managing director of Woolworths supermarkets Claire Peters said that the collection adds something “a little magical” to the supermarket’s Christmas offerings.

“We are really excited to be able to offer Australian families a small gift that captures the fun, imagination and festive spirit of the season with the ‘Woolworths Christmas Pop-Outs’,” she said.

“Christmas is all about spending quality time with family, friends and loved ones and this is a great way for everyone to get together to workshop, build and play with their favourite Christmas characters.

“We believe that kids, parents, grandparents and individuals will be captured by the wonder and imagination of the range and will find ways to make them their own this Christmas – whether that’s as a place card for the dining table or an additional festive ornament around the Christmas tree.”