It may be a tactic as old as time, but it works. Sampling continues to be a mainstay in retail and F&B spaces across America.
It remains a highly effective way to leverage your on-site footfall and turn it into paying customers. The numbers bear this out.
According to consumer research, 78% of shoppers said they were more likely to buy a product after sampling it. A sampling campaign allows you to cut through the marketing noise and show your customers why they should put their trust in your product.
With the right brand activation staff, it can turn your product from a slow-mover to a sales superstar. Here’s what you need to know amount sampling marketing, product demonstrators, and getting it right the first time.
Know Your Audience
Before hiring product demonstrators, you need to know who they will be engaging with. Take some time to conduct some market research (something we can help you with) ahead of your sampling event.
What is your target demographic? When are they most likely to be in-store? Are they likely to be receptive to product sampling? Once you know who you are targeting, you can ensure a more efficient campaign.
Choose the Right In-Store Demonstrators and Sampling Staff
With any sampling program, the people are everything. Whether you’re choosing from your own staff or wish to hire a dedicated brand activation staff, you’ll need to choose the qualities that will sell.
You want enthusiastic people who are knowledgeable about the product and have experience with sampling events. Choose people who will be able to connect with your target demographic and will actively solicit feedback.
Most importantly, choose talented salespeople who will be able to turn those sampling interactions into purchases.
Track Your Progress
Even the best sampling event will not get you far if you don’t know which metrics to track. To ensure that your campaign is working, you’ll need to track sales of your product.
Use trackable purchase URLs for online sales, and distribute coupons at the sampling station so that you know exactly which sales came from site visitors.
Monitor online reviews that your product generates, and make sure to track wider sales outside of your store to get the full picture.
Don’t Stop There
A sampling campaign does not end once the customers have left the store. Make sure that your in-store demonstrators are asking for feedback, or offering incentives to those who leave reviews online or on social media.
Use your metrics to see what is working and when so that you can adjust your next sampling event according to what works best.
Finally, don’t forget to ask your product demonstrators what they thought of the campaign, and how their interactions with customers went.
Grow Your Business With Your Product
At the end of the day, your business depends on your ability to sell. With the right sampling event, driven by stellar brand activation staff, you can turn your product into an engine of growth.
Before you choose your sampling staff, you might need help to refine your product’s USP and your target audience. For this, you can click here to see how we help companies do just that.
