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Sample First

Imagine being able to sample a product for free before purchasing the actual product.  Seems logical right?

Why Sample?

On the business side, investing in product samples is one of the smartest moves fledging retailers can make. Product samples help you ensure each order for your store is a worthwhile investment for you and your customers. You can determine if an item fits your brand, meets your quality standards and will live up to your customers expectations.

On the consumer side, sampling gives you the unique opportunity to be able to try a product and see how it works before investing your money into it. This goes especially for products that may be on the more expensive side.  Being able to see how a product or service works and/or fits into your lifestyle is essential when making a choice to purchase in comparison to different alternatives.  For example, someone may be more willing to buy a product that they had the ability to sample first in comparison to one that they are purchasing blind in hopes that it will satisfy their needs.

The science behind sampling

Customers go through what’s called a buyer decision process whenever they need to make a purchase. Shoppers realize they have a need, desire, or a problem before they start seeking information about a potential solution.  What happens next is that they consider a solution along with alternatives. A huge amount of information influences a shopper’s decision when making a choice between those alternatives. Price, availability, and personal preferences or biases all play a role.  Providing a product sample bridges the gap and can aid in a customers purchasing decision.  They can try the product for themselves and that experience provides a more rational way to evaluate which product is best for them.  Another element to the idea of sampling is brand loyalty.  A study around wine tastings conducted by Cornell University professor Miguel Gomez showed customers who enjoyed a tasting were not only more likely to spend more money at the winery, but also highly likely to buy from the business again in the future.  

Is sampling right for you?

Now that you have seen some examples of the benefits of sampling from both a business side and a consumer side, you can have clearer vision of whether or not this strategyis right for you!