Even with the evolution of technology, experts say that it is necessary to know the buying habits of those who are receiving the sampling to understand if they are, in fact, a potential buyer.
Free sample distribution, which evolves into charming sampling,
is a powerful search tool to bring a brand closer to the consumer. There are professionals who claim that this is one of the least invasive actions and the client likes to receive “pampering”.
But in this universe, the vast majority agree on one thing: the free sample, or sampling, has changed radically in recent years, as it is rare to see the girl with a tray in the supermarket offering a cheese tasting, for example. Is it over or just strengthened with digital?
For Ana Luísa Périssé, CBO at Integer\OutPromo, neither one nor the other. “The possibility of sampling via digital means brought a clearer role to supermarket tasting and it is easy to understand when one or the other is more relevant, depending on the product or target in question”, she exemplifies.
Marcos Pirozzelli, CEO of Accuracy, believes that the demand for experimentation has not ended and has not necessarily strengthened, but has gained the ability to segment. “With digital support, it became feasible to direct efforts to the target of each brand”, he says.
Ana Luísa surveys the history of the trajectory and evolution of sampling, claiming to be able to point out three different moments about the delivery of samples in a target precision curve. “At first, the delivery of samples was for logistical convenience, concentrated in specific places such as stores or shopping centers. The strategy was to take advantage of sales locations to distribute sampling of products from the same industry”, she recalls. But, according to her, at that time, it was also common to sample a product linked to another product of the company so that the first lent credibility to the second. “What you could expect from this strategy was to get the product into the hands of a potential buyer,” she says.
The executive says that, after that, the sector entered a placement phase in which it was important to sample in the most connected way possible to the use of the product. “At that time, it was common, for example, to deliver samples of repellents at the toll road to the coast on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning, and also to experiment with hair styling cream on the beach. Delivering the product at or close to the moment of consumption brings relevance to those who receive it and greatly increases the chances of being used”, she says.
And, now, the market is in the data sampling phase, which, according to her, with the data that retailers and e-tailers have on their shoppers, it is possible to make a sampling strategy linked to the target’s buying behavior and also already associated with a subsequent sales strategy, which is the primary objective of sampling. “We clearly follow up who receives the sampling, who somehow interacted with this product in subsequent media activation and, of course, who purchased the product afterwards. It is possible to close the cycle from the delivery of the sampling to the purchase and close it with a stimulus to the possible repurchase, making the impacted person become a real shopper”, she says.
Investment
Still on the historical aspect of sampling, Pirozzelli states that, until recently, the free sample was scaled through an intense investment in labor (inside or outside the POS) or logistics (direct mail, for example). However, according to him, nowadays, “these practices have not been extinguished, but they have given a lot of space for campaigns with digital application, such as cashback, a promotional modality that is recurrently applied with 100% refund, which provides the famous ‘ Try it Free’, whose consumer gets the entire purchase price back”.
Sampling can be planned to act on several fronts, including partnerships between companies to experiment with products and services. But it needs to be well curated by the target. Ana Luísa says that it is necessary to know the buying habits of those receiving the sampling to understand if they are in fact a potential buyer, even if they are within the established demographics. “In addition, once again, the context of the moment of sample delivery is relevant so that its use is actually stimulated”, she reveals.
Regarding partnerships with companies for experimentation, the CEO of Accuracy analyzes that, if the brand’s audience is indeed at the base of these companies, it is a good idea to adopt the measure. For him, it will be possible to map even better the habits of consumers and also identify the differentials and acceptance of the product or service. “These days, sampling is largely done through the ‘try it free’ promotional mechanics (refund, cashback) and through e-commerce,” he argues.
For Ana Luísa, the sampling strategy depends on the company’s objective. She believes that the distribution of free samples is effective for product launches or even performance research. “The feedback from impacted consumers brings inputs to the company’s go to market strategy and, therefore, it can still be a good deal”.
Also for Pirozzelli, free samples tend to be very well accepted by consumers, and the opportunity to try something in exchange for opinion also works as a way for the customer to feel their voice valued and to strengthen the relationship with the brand, but for to say if it is a good deal, it is always necessary to evaluate the objective of the brand and identify if this modality matches the target. Ana Luísa also points out that the sector has gained significant investment in the market penetration stage precisely because it is a tool that, in addition to experimentation, brings insights through data, which can be applied to the brand’s strategy as a whole.
Accuracy executive agrees with Integer\OutPromo CBO. In his words, the free sample is a powerful tool to generate experimentation, data, strategies and insights for other brand actions and communications.
The pandemic, according to the executive’s assessment, boosted, as in so many other areas, new sampling formats. She reveals that, at this moment, the new routine of consumers made them need new products and the industry started a race to get ahead in formats that had never made so much sense.
“Two good examples of territories that came to be explored in the pandemic were the cleaning of app cars and also the handle of carts in supermarket stores. Even though the consumer could not take the product home, he had an in-depth experience with the product and at a highly relevant time for him. The brand will not be forgotten”, he evaluates.
Pirozzelli adds that the pandemic has stagnated the practice of tasting at the POS, which, according to him, naturally unfolded into an advance in the practices of other modalities of experimentation.
