For many people, handing away free pieces of your goods constitutes product sampling. However, it’s far more than that. With the hopes that the customer will eventually purchase it, subscribe, or join a loyalty program.
One of the best strategies for gathering genuine content and boosting sales on any e-commerce site, social networking pages, and elsewhere is product sampling marketing. It’s time you discover how (and also why) to use this marketing powerhouse.
Imagine this: You’re browsing the store as your tummy growls and trying to find the ideal snack. Then, suddenly, someone calls out, “Free sample products!” and hands you a steaming piece of pizza that is overflowing with molten mozzarella cheese. You want more, and dinnertime is approaching. Cart it up.
Put anything else in its place now, like wine, ice cream, or a hand-held vacuum. Customers are more likely to recommend, purchase, and spread a product after trying it. Because of this, product sampling companies use this advertising as it is among the most successful strategies a company can use, despite the expenses such as free sample products.
How does product sampling work?
Offering products or services to your audience in return for more customer reviews, ratings, as well as other revenue-boosting user-generated material is known as product sampling (UGC). This is an example of visual merchandising because customers can fully experience and interact with the product before purchasing it.
A brief history lesson Since the 1850s, product sampling has been a tried-and-true marketing tactic. One of the first to provide samples to his following was soap maker Benjamin T. Babbitt. As time went on, more people began to understand the effectiveness of this marketing tactic, and it has since gained popularity across other industries.
Several unique product sampling techniques are given by sampling companies available today:
- Traditional sampling entails providing customers with free product samples so they will feel more comfortable purchasing.
- This is known as cashback sampling, when customers use a coupon to purchase a product in-person or online or when they upload a receipt to collect cashback.
- More miniature or trial-size goods are included in sampler packs, basically free sample products. Customers are more inclined to purchase full-sized goods if they enjoy the sample.
- This is known as a mail drop when you send free samples to clients’ homes directly.
- Free samples with a time limit are available for a set period, including three days, per week, etc. This heightens the anticipation and plays on people’s psychological fear of losing out (FOMO).
- Virtual sampling would be when customers may test a product without going to a store or getting anything in the mail by doing so online. An app and otherwise artificial intelligence are used in this kind of product sample promotion.
When should a product sample program be started?
When you want to increase word-of-mouth or collect feedback on a new product, you should start a product sampling campaign under the guidance of sampling companies.
- People can test out your high-caliber, productive product right now. Before opinions start flying, it’s critical to make sure you’re giving something that is genuinely excellent. Product sampling will make a wrong product look even worse.
- The expense of sampling is within your means. Included are the samples’ prices, shipping, processing, staffing, and marketing. Notably, CashBack Sampling significantly reduces this expense.
- For an existing product, enhanced brand awareness is required. Positive word-of-mouth marketing is essential if your brand isn’t well-known, but your product is top-notch. This will help you build brand awareness as well as fill your sales pipeline. Just be sure that expansion is realistic for you, given your current business strategy provided by sampling companies.
- You need to introduce a new product. In addition to helping with product development, product sampling will generate some additional publicity. If someone tries your product and likes it, they’re more likely to purchase it, recommend it to their friends, and perhaps write a blog post or other taking full advantage of it.
Halo effect while sampling
The advantages of sampling might be extolled all day long. But statistics do a more excellent job of proving it. More than 6,000 members of the Influenster community who recently participated in sample initiatives were recently surveyed. How did the campaign(s) perform? So, among the participants in our survey:
- 97% of those who tried the product also bought at least one other item from the brand, whereas 63% did not.
- 87% said they’d suggest the brand or product to family and friends
- 50% said they followed the brand through social media and 50% said the item became a new favorite or staple in their lives. All consumers love free sample products as they understand how exactly the product is.
