Product samples
Product samples - Sales promotion is a tricky business. Companies want
to encourage reluctant consumers to try new products or to switch to
their brand. One important tool to manage this is free product sample
distribution. When free samples are distributed, a company makes a full-
or trial-sized product available free of charge to consumers. They are
able to try the product, then, without risk.
There are two general periods when free samples are distributed. The
first is when there is a launch of a new product. The second is when a
company wants to increase their market share for an already established
product. There are plenty of different ways to distribute products to
people.
Direct mail sampling is familiar to most consumers. In this sampling,
free product samples are mailed directly to homes in a specific area
that has been targeted based on demographic characteristics. Newspaper
is also sometimes used to distribute a sample to a large number of
people in a given area.
Free product sample delivery can also be managed door-to-door. In this
manner, people bring samples out directly to individuals' homes. This is
often used when the cost for direct mailing or packaging is too high,
or when tighter targeting is needed or there is only limited lead time.
Sometimes there are sample packs of one product packaged along with
another item that is for sale. This method is often used in a high
traffic area like a theater or a mall.
Most shoppers have had samples at a grocery store, or have been given a
sample package while shopping. This is called in-store sampling and is
the most frequently used method for distributing free product samples.
Companies know that free sampling tends to increase impulse purchasing.
Spending on making free samples available is often money well spent.
Many companies even allow consumers to request samples on their website.
Stock of free samples is generally limited however. Consumers who want
to request free trial products online or via coupons need to make their
request early to have the best chance of being met.
Product sampling is a very effective way to market a product. Samples
are distributed when advertising alone does not have the desired effect,
and distribution costs are not prohibitive.
