We all know sampling sells, but during COVID the landscape of many of our everyday thrills has stopped. Who doesn't miss getting a sample of a potato chip, a bite of candy, or a taste of a new beverage and the interaction with a person and a brand? So many of us are experiencing disappointment and depression (even shock) missing free samples during our routine shopping trips to places like Trader Joe’s, Costco, and Wegmans. There’s something special about those experiences during our trips that bonds us with brands and retailers.
People love free samples and sampling sells, as Costco has proven, and that has not changed despite COVID. What is changing are the protocols for distributing these samples in this environment. Costco has slowly reintroduced its sampling using Plexiglas, masks, and other safeguards. They are rolling out this plan throughout the country. If you haven’t seen it yet at your local Costco, expect to very soon.
In store marketing.
"Food samples, in some cases, have led to a 2,000 percent increase in sales." The Costco Effect: Sampling Your Work to Make the Sale By Stanley Meytin.
But what if you don't sell in Costco and want to sample? Finding new venues or using existing ones with new protocols will be critical to brand launches and keeping other brands alive. How will it change now with COVID? Sealed sample packages, strict sampling protocols, and a lot of creative thinking are on the drawing board.
Many clients I have spoken with have trade show samples and funds that have not been able to be utilized, and they are eager to be innovative about sampling (not to eliminate it in their future plans). The 2020 trade show season sadly came to a halt in early March. The more innovative brands are now planning to get them into the consumer's hands through new styles of sampling.
Bring your brand to life. Putting samples in the hands of consumers is a true and tested way to increase sales and lift products off shelves. According to a recent study, 96% of customers said they were more likely to purchase as a result of trying or experiencing a product.
Sampling is proven to convert customers and develop a loyal response. Don’t give up on your sampling plans. Instead, follow the lead of retailers like Costco who are determined to make sampling safe with new guidelines.
“One of your goals should be to make your servers march to the tune of the upsell band of marketing geniuses that tease our taste buds and sensuate our emotions. People eat with their eyes and purchase with their palates,” writes culinary business expert John Foley on AllBusiness.com.
Ready to get started with sampling, but don’t know where to start? Have questions about adapting to the new sampling protocols? Contact Mojo today for a free consultation. We can help get your brand in the hands of loyal customers.
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