Free samples aren’t just for grocery stores. Many different businesses can benefit from offering their customers a chance to try out different products. However, if you’re considering offering free samples of your wares, you need to plan ahead to make sure you maximize on this marketing technique.
Why samples?
To some retailers, samples may seem like a waste of inventory, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. Some items can’t be displayed on adult or child mannequins or showcased on a wall rack. Touching or using a product before purchasing it may convince some shoppers that it’s worth the price.
What works well as a sample
Food is obviously well-suited for free tasting, but there are other products that customers may want to sample. Take a walk among your gondola shelves and display cases and look for items that may be difficult for customers to truly understand without using them. For instance, if you have hand creams or lotions that are tightly sealed in bottles, you may want to open one so that customers can smell and feel what’s inside. Retailers who sell electronics like smart phones may want to place a few sample devices out on their display tables so customers can experience the interface of the product.
How to display samples
When it comes to showcasing your samples, you’ll need to make sure that customers are very aware that the testers are free for usage. Use brightly colored store signs, and consider creating a display table that is exclusively for sample products. This way you won’t run the risk of having your customers open the wrong product to give it a whirl.
Unique takes on samples
If you aren’t fond of the idea of having samples out every single day of the week, you can use a different marketing trick to help your customers get to know your products more intimately. Consider holding a “sample party,” one day when your customers will be free to try out any of your products in-store. Promote this special event through Twitter or in your display windows and you can be sure that your revenue will spike.
Merchants who aren’t sure what products they should offer up as samples can tap their customer base for advice. Send out a tweet that asks “What products would you most like to try, but haven’t yet?” Once you get a few responses, let your shoppers know that the most popular answers will be featured at your shop.
