These words are an incredibly important part of the shopping process and can oftentimes be the defining difference between a potential customer and a paying one. Product sampling takes this a step further and rather than serving as a recommendation, it poses as a direct demonstration of what your product has to offer.

By trying it before buying it, consumers can build confidence and reduce doubt, leading to higher conversions. Uncertainty can stop a consumer in their tracks and keep them from ultimately making a purchase.

Now think about how consumers feel when you offer them a complimentary sample of your product. With newer, digital sampling models, this is taken to a whole new level of delight by delivering the sample to your ideal audience directly to their doorstep and giving them the ability to try it on their own terms and in the comfort of their own home.

Product sampling ignites a natural sense of reciprocity amongst your audience, leaving them with the desire to return the gesture by purchasing the product they sampled. As consumer expectations continue to evolve, finding ways to forge new bonds with your highest value audience is more important than ever before.

Product sampling can be your greatest ally in forging new bonds with your highest value consumer and most importantly, generating greater value for your brand - one freebie at a time. Our complete guide on how to launch and maximize your product sampling services will arm you with the information you need to ensure your next program is built for ultimate success.

Receive digital sampling resources, product updates, and success stories from brands similar to yours. Sampler clients see an average 19X sales lift via digitally-targeted sampling campaigns on Kroger. Work with Us. They also have a long-lasting impact on sales compared to other sales promotion techniques.

You can track the value of this type of campaign for a year or longer. Compare that to a coupon campaign that you can track for only two to four months. Sampling gives consumers the chance to experience the product quality firsthand.

They do not have to rely on your sales pitch or marketing to find out about the product. They can discover it on their own, which provides a more powerful impression. Product sampling may be the most effective sales promotion technique to get a consumer to try a new product.

However, it is also one of the most expensive. Producing sample sized product and paying for the sample distribution process adds up fast.

This means you have to plan your sampling campaign carefully to get the most from it. Developing your plan requires paying attention to certain aspects of the campaign.

These include identifying your objective, customer, and sampling techniques. Plus, you have to figure out your approach and how you will monitor the campaign.

First, though, you need to make sure that you are prepared to launch such a campaign. Sampling works best for a new or improved product. It allows you to introduce the product and get feedback from consumers quickly. The technique is also effective when introducing a different use for an established product or to reach new geographic areas.

Before you begin a campaign, you have to make sure your target market has adequate access to your product. You may need to takes steps to push it to the areas where you will run the campaign.

You must ensure there is enough product for the demand that will occur after your sampling event. If you are reaching the right consumer, they will seek your product out and be turned off if it is not immediately available to purchase.

When it comes to launching a new product, there are many examples of companies using product sampling to spread the word about their product. By letting consumers try it for free before buying, companies get a chance to engage with their audience and encourage them to generate hype, traffic, awareness, and feedback.

In this article, we will go over five examples of successful product sampling campaigns that created great value for brands. Also, we briefly explain how you can get started on your own product testing campaign. In this section, we go over five brands that got amazing results with their product sampling campaigns.

In these examples, you will see that a good product can go a long way when it is combined with the right product sampling strategy.

Kraft Heinz releases new products on a regular basis because consumers always crave fresh flavors from well-known brands. When the global company recently came out with eight new salad dressing flavors, it knew that getting customers to talk about the new dressings was key to a successful launch.

Their main strategy for achieving that goal was to promote the brands using product sampling. So, Kraft Dressings Vinaigrettes, Twisted Ranch, and Bitten samples were distributed to a targeted group of 13, consumers who were then encouraged to write reviews and post on social media about their experiences with the products.

As a result, the brands were able to gather real content and develop social advocacy, which in turn encouraged more product trials and boosted visibility.

The three product sampling campaigns resulted in 98, pieces of user-generated content UGC , 20, reviews, and 39 million impressions from , social posts, shares, likes, and comments from consumers. According to Elizabeth Northrup, Associate Brand Manager for Kraft Dressings Vinaigrettes, Twisted Ranch and Bitten, these product sampling campaigns over-delivered on their targets, creating 2x the product reviews they expected, and earning media over 5x the program investment.

Glade wanted more people to try out its home air freshener. But as online shopping becomes more popular, fewer customers are visiting physical stores to get free samples or watch product demonstrations. To solve this problem, they enlisted the help of Walmart for a unique product sampling campaign.

Glade took the packing pillows used to protect products during home deliveries and filled them with their air freshener. So, as people unpacked their Walmart purchases and popped their pillows, the scent of Glade's spring fragrance wafted through the air.

They also printed a QR code on the packaging that people could scan to buy Glade's products directly. Ogilvy Chicago, the ad agency behind the campaign, claimed that Glade home fragrances had an 83 percent boost in sales on Walmart.

com thanks to this innovative product sampling idea. Beauty Insider, the wildly popular reward program from Sephora , includes product sampling as an integral part and major benefit of its strategy.

The cosmetics company is well-known for providing free product samples with each online order.

Learn from these 5 examples of famous brands that achieved amazing results with their creative product sampling campaigns Modern product sampling campaigns · 1. eCommerce – sampling in your own deliveries · 2. eCommerce – retailer partnerships · 3. Digital sampling Product sampling is an experiential marketing strategy used by businesses to introduce their products to potential customers

Product sampling promotion - Learn how product sampling marketing is a proven way of boosting content collection and driving sales on your e-commerce site and beyond Learn from these 5 examples of famous brands that achieved amazing results with their creative product sampling campaigns Modern product sampling campaigns · 1. eCommerce – sampling in your own deliveries · 2. eCommerce – retailer partnerships · 3. Digital sampling Product sampling is an experiential marketing strategy used by businesses to introduce their products to potential customers

Post requirements mean you will need to gift more. Below is a great product gifting example from Vessi:. Source: with. Gifting campaigns do double duty by helping brands win new customers and build social proof at the same time.

That said, gifting requires some legwork. The process of contacting creators and sending them packages can be time-consuming.

The benefits are worth it if you have the bandwidth, though. From posts showing off your brand to glowing reviews, gifting is among the best product sampling methods for building awareness. Consider that convenience is the top driver of online purchases.

Still, some products need to be seen in person before buyers are comfortable. As noted earlier, this is common with high-ticket purchases. Even Amazon is hopping on the sampling bandwagon with their Prime Try Before You Buy program.

Below is another example from Azazie. The brand offers try-on wedding dresses and free swatch samples for shoppers. Their dresses and gowns must be returned within seven days of being received. On the flip side, their swatches are truly free samples with no returns necessary.

Source: Azazie. As an added bonus, shoppers can actually choose which products they want to try. Source: Ulta. By default, the products sampled will be more relevant to individual shoppers than random items.

This increases the chances that shoppers will make a full-blown purchase in the future. Source: Twitter. Good question! This is an ongoing trend and expectation among shoppers post-pandemic.

As ecommerce grows, opportunities to build one-on-one connections with customers shrink. And so brands that can create a unique experience for their customers have the most to gain. Recommending and offering personalized samples is compelling to consumers.

Random freebies are nice, but custom samples for individuals are ideal. Consider also that anyone that asks for or accepts a sample is high-intent. Your product sampling program can serve as a way to identify relevant shoppers ASAP. Sampling campaigns offer a goldmine of info for brands.

Specifically, how to fine-tune your marketing strategy. For example, product samples that never get claimed or talked about might be worth phasing out.

On the flip side, your popular samples can highlight what people like the most about your brand. This illustrates yet another benefit of influencer gifting. When creators post about your product, you can earn authentic and unfiltered feedback.

Note which products and qualities ex: materials, ingredients, features they shout out. Then, emphasize those strengths in your future marketing campaigns.

Source: melissaamaakeup. Without getting too scientific, reciprocity occurs when a brand gives a consumer a free sample. The use of reciprocity in marketing is well-documented. Think about how Costco has made sampling such an important part of the shopping experience for members.

Well, product sampling campaigns online have the same effect. When you mail out a sample of your product, you trigger the reciprocity effect. This increases the chances that recipients become buyers.

When you offer an in-person sample, people only get a narrow and limited understanding of your product. For example, a customer might try a perfume sample in the store.

When you offer an in-home sample, people get a chance to use your product as they would if they bought it. This creates a much-needed sense of reassurance. Also, consider how some product sampling campaigns offer a taste of your checkout experience. This is another way to get new customers familiar with your brand and products.

The more time people get to spend engaging with your brand, the more comfortable they are with you. If nothing else, social media product sampling is a brilliant way to get more user-generated content.

This includes customer photos and videos, reviews and more. Source: lewendyy. Real-life product reviews and visual content are among the most important factors that drive purchase intent.

You can earn both at the same time by offering samples. Whether you can realistically build your own program depends on a few key factors, though. On a high level, brainstorm whether or not your brand has the following:. Note: for companies with limited resources but time to spare, small-scale gifting campaigns are an option.

The process of engaging with creators one-on-one to send products is still time-consuming. It is a practice that keeps both parties happy, as consumers receive a free product and product sales increase for the brands. Product sampling marketing creates a classic WIN-WIN scenario.

The product sampling method is a technique that has helped many businesses thrive, even when they faced huge competition in the market. However, it is a calculated method that you need to understand before trying it out fully. Product Sampling is when companies spread the word about their product by letting consumers try it before buying it.

With product sampling, you give free samples of your new products to your targeted audience to gain traffic and awareness. An indirect product sampling strategy is a method with no physical interaction between you and clients.

offering free samples of a product to consumers when they buy another product. A direct product sampling strategy is just the opposite. You make a connection with your consumers and keep that relationship. offering free samples by sending them to their homes.

If you are skeptical about the working mechanism of product sampling and want to know more about it, you are in the right place. There are three important psychological constructs that can explain why product sampling is an effective product marketing strategy for your business:.

Keep in mind that we often make irrational decisions because if our brain tries to go in-depth about every decision we make, it will use up all our energy. To be energy efficient, we make decisions on a whim. Most of the time, we pick familiar products instead of unfamiliar ones that are probably more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and better for our lifestyle.

That makes sense because why would you spend your money on something you can not possibly be sure about? Therefore, product sampling minimizes the risks for consumers because they are not paying for anything while being able to try the product. Recent social psychology studies have shown that waiters who give free candies to customers are found to get more tips than waiters who don't give anything at all.

Notice that these customer service workers don't actively ask for anything in return and are still rewarded for it. This is how reciprocity can also apply to product sampling.

The free products that you let consumers try may even get them to buy your product in the future. Read more: The Psychology Behind Consumer Sampling Programs.

In short, by using the product sampling method, you are hacking your way into your consumers' brains and subconscious. There are different ways to target consumers and sample your products to them. However, all these different ways can be categorized into two major sampling methods.

You often find this marketing method in stores such as Costco or makeup stores. Stores offer samples of the products they already have in their stock in hopes that consumers walk out with more items than they originally planned to buy. Traditional product marketing has proven to boost sales, especially if the sampling counter is well positioned within a store; but it also has downsides.

With traditional product sampling, your insights are limited to what you see right then and there and depend on the accuracy of the person that records them. Therefore this is not a suitable method for products that take a day or a week to try out and review, like shampoos or skincare products.

The digital age of technology has made it convenient for both businesses and consumers to connect with each other. Digital product sampling is the natural evolution of the traditional product sampling method in the modern world. With this technique, you are targeting specific audiences and not a vast number of random by-passers.

Despite the fact that the traditional product sampling technique offers face-to-face interactions, the digital product sampling technique offers your users some form of anonymity that enables them to be honest. Moreover, you can always follow up on your potential consumers via this method, but with the traditional product sampling method, you will lose touch with them.

Your campaign result is not dependent on the note-taking skills of your employees. There is a data-gathering method involved that helps you keep track of your results and analyze them in different ways.

This higher cost is usually compensated by creating a loyal consumer base and eventually a much higher return on investment ROI rate. Read more: Digital Product Sampling vs. Traditional Product Sampling.

Product sampling promotion - Learn how product sampling marketing is a proven way of boosting content collection and driving sales on your e-commerce site and beyond Learn from these 5 examples of famous brands that achieved amazing results with their creative product sampling campaigns Modern product sampling campaigns · 1. eCommerce – sampling in your own deliveries · 2. eCommerce – retailer partnerships · 3. Digital sampling Product sampling is an experiential marketing strategy used by businesses to introduce their products to potential customers

The higher your price point, the more likely shoppers will want to try before they buy. This sampling method involves giving shoppers a digital taste of your products. In short, shoppers get to try products without leaving the house or ordering an in-home trial.

For fashion and apparel brands, virtual try-on using AR have grown more popular over the years. Source: YouTube. While virtual product sampling is sort of niche, it is instant. For consumers, virtual sampling means no shipping fees or juggling packages. The caveat? Product gifting is a form of sampling where you send your products to content creators.

Of course, the goal is to get those creators to post about your brand on social media. Post requirements mean you will need to gift more. Below is a great product gifting example from Vessi:. Source: with. Gifting campaigns do double duty by helping brands win new customers and build social proof at the same time.

That said, gifting requires some legwork. The process of contacting creators and sending them packages can be time-consuming. The benefits are worth it if you have the bandwidth, though. From posts showing off your brand to glowing reviews, gifting is among the best product sampling methods for building awareness.

Consider that convenience is the top driver of online purchases. Still, some products need to be seen in person before buyers are comfortable. As noted earlier, this is common with high-ticket purchases. Even Amazon is hopping on the sampling bandwagon with their Prime Try Before You Buy program.

Below is another example from Azazie. The brand offers try-on wedding dresses and free swatch samples for shoppers. Their dresses and gowns must be returned within seven days of being received. On the flip side, their swatches are truly free samples with no returns necessary.

Source: Azazie. As an added bonus, shoppers can actually choose which products they want to try. Source: Ulta. By default, the products sampled will be more relevant to individual shoppers than random items. This increases the chances that shoppers will make a full-blown purchase in the future.

Source: Twitter. Good question! This is an ongoing trend and expectation among shoppers post-pandemic. As ecommerce grows, opportunities to build one-on-one connections with customers shrink. And so brands that can create a unique experience for their customers have the most to gain.

Recommending and offering personalized samples is compelling to consumers. Random freebies are nice, but custom samples for individuals are ideal. Consider also that anyone that asks for or accepts a sample is high-intent. Your product sampling program can serve as a way to identify relevant shoppers ASAP.

Sampling campaigns offer a goldmine of info for brands. Specifically, how to fine-tune your marketing strategy.

For example, product samples that never get claimed or talked about might be worth phasing out. On the flip side, your popular samples can highlight what people like the most about your brand.

This illustrates yet another benefit of influencer gifting. When creators post about your product, you can earn authentic and unfiltered feedback. Note which products and qualities ex: materials, ingredients, features they shout out.

Then, emphasize those strengths in your future marketing campaigns. Source: melissaamaakeup. Without getting too scientific, reciprocity occurs when a brand gives a consumer a free sample.

The use of reciprocity in marketing is well-documented. Think about how Costco has made sampling such an important part of the shopping experience for members.

Well, product sampling campaigns online have the same effect. When you mail out a sample of your product, you trigger the reciprocity effect. This increases the chances that recipients become buyers. When you offer an in-person sample, people only get a narrow and limited understanding of your product.

For example, a customer might try a perfume sample in the store. When you offer an in-home sample, people get a chance to use your product as they would if they bought it. This creates a much-needed sense of reassurance. Also, consider how some product sampling campaigns offer a taste of your checkout experience.

This is another way to get new customers familiar with your brand and products. With product sampling, you give free samples of your new products to your targeted audience to gain traffic and awareness. An indirect product sampling strategy is a method with no physical interaction between you and clients.

offering free samples of a product to consumers when they buy another product. A direct product sampling strategy is just the opposite. You make a connection with your consumers and keep that relationship.

offering free samples by sending them to their homes. If you are skeptical about the working mechanism of product sampling and want to know more about it, you are in the right place. There are three important psychological constructs that can explain why product sampling is an effective product marketing strategy for your business:.

Keep in mind that we often make irrational decisions because if our brain tries to go in-depth about every decision we make, it will use up all our energy. To be energy efficient, we make decisions on a whim. Most of the time, we pick familiar products instead of unfamiliar ones that are probably more sustainable, environmentally friendly, and better for our lifestyle.

That makes sense because why would you spend your money on something you can not possibly be sure about? Therefore, product sampling minimizes the risks for consumers because they are not paying for anything while being able to try the product. Recent social psychology studies have shown that waiters who give free candies to customers are found to get more tips than waiters who don't give anything at all.

Notice that these customer service workers don't actively ask for anything in return and are still rewarded for it. This is how reciprocity can also apply to product sampling.

The free products that you let consumers try may even get them to buy your product in the future. Read more: The Psychology Behind Consumer Sampling Programs. In short, by using the product sampling method, you are hacking your way into your consumers' brains and subconscious.

There are different ways to target consumers and sample your products to them. However, all these different ways can be categorized into two major sampling methods. You often find this marketing method in stores such as Costco or makeup stores.

Stores offer samples of the products they already have in their stock in hopes that consumers walk out with more items than they originally planned to buy. Traditional product marketing has proven to boost sales, especially if the sampling counter is well positioned within a store; but it also has downsides.

With traditional product sampling, your insights are limited to what you see right then and there and depend on the accuracy of the person that records them.

Therefore this is not a suitable method for products that take a day or a week to try out and review, like shampoos or skincare products.

The digital age of technology has made it convenient for both businesses and consumers to connect with each other. Digital product sampling is the natural evolution of the traditional product sampling method in the modern world. With this technique, you are targeting specific audiences and not a vast number of random by-passers.

Despite the fact that the traditional product sampling technique offers face-to-face interactions, the digital product sampling technique offers your users some form of anonymity that enables them to be honest.

Moreover, you can always follow up on your potential consumers via this method, but with the traditional product sampling method, you will lose touch with them.

Your campaign result is not dependent on the note-taking skills of your employees. There is a data-gathering method involved that helps you keep track of your results and analyze them in different ways. This higher cost is usually compensated by creating a loyal consumer base and eventually a much higher return on investment ROI rate.

Read more: Digital Product Sampling vs. Traditional Product Sampling. We highly recommend that you opt for the second option and take the digital product sampling route.

It may be a longer one, but you will get where you want to be, satisfied. If you know what group of people you want to target, get to know them on a deeper level, and if you want to find the right target market for your product, study the market and your competitors' consumer base.

This will help generate reviews and will give consumers a chance to familiarize themselves with your product. In addition, pick the right time for your product launch.

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