Do you want to sample products as a manufacturer? Then first consider whether your product is suitable for this. Does the product stand out, does it live up to what it says and is the ROI positive? If so, sampling is usually a good idea! But note that for some products, sampling is less interesting. For example, consider products with high cost prices or large and heavy products. But there are more reasons why sometimes it is better to choose a different form of activation than sampling.
Cost of the sample
Costs versus benefits
First, it is wise to consider the potential cost of a sampling campaign. After all, producing and sending samples can add up quite a bit. In some cases, it may be more advantageous to sample with the normal product because the production costs will be lower. Shipping a sample can be pricey due to the size or weight of a product. If you are thinking of using webshop sampling, these shipping costs do not apply as you can send the sample along with an existing order. An additional advantage of webshop sampling is that the sample can be consumed or prepared directly in the home environment. For these reasons, calculate in advance how much sampling your product will cost and whether the ROI will be positive.
Repeat Purchases
Sampling is particularly effective with products that are frequently purchased and occur in a weekly pattern. These Fast Moving Consumer Goods, such as snacks or personal care products, often generate repeat purchases. From our experience, products such as “cookies and candy” often have a high product valuation and repeat purchase intent. Products that fall into a weekly food or household pattern are interesting because the chances of achieving a high ROI here are high. You probably want to recoup the cost of the sample and the campaign, and that’s easier when you sell a product twenty times a year instead of once a year.
Which sampling method is appropriate?
Once you have decided to sample your product, it is important that you choose the right sampling method. Each product needs a different sampling strategy. Therefore, make sure the consumer gets the sample when he or she needs it. With many products, it is important that a sample can be tried immediately. When this is not possible and another action is required to use the product, such as a meal component, one option is to have the meal prepared on site by a sampling team, allowing the consumer to taste the product. For this, costs of the sampling campaign are often higher. The most appropriate method depends on the needs and location of the target audience. In a previous blog you will find an overview of the best methods for sampling your product.
Sample size and weight
When a product is very large or heavy, such as a bottle of soda, it is often also very expensive to sample. Fragile products such as crackers or rusks are also less suitable, as it takes a lot of time and money to get them to the consumer in good condition. Of course, there are solutions to this as well. For example, by producing small samples, or by offering the product in small portions. However, this in turn increases the cost of the sampling campaign, since a sampling team must pour and offer it. In addition, it is important that the product delivers what it promises. If this is not the case, it will not achieve a positive ROI. Only when the product has directly observable benefits is sampling a good option. There is then a good chance that the consumer will start to buy the product and loyalty to the brand is created.
Distinguishing power
Sampling often works well for “new” products or product variants that are distinctive. In our experience, when a product differs from others it often has a higher purchase frequency. Commodity goods, such as a pack of sugar or flour, are not unique and therefore not interesting for sampling. Even if you are sampling a product that people only use once a year, careful consideration must be given to whether a positive ROI can be achieved. The cost of the sample and the campaign must eventually be recovered.
Margin on the product
Products with high production or distribution costs are less suitable for sampling. There is often little chance of recovering the costs. So before you start sampling a product, it is wise to look at the profit you can make. Or, in other words, the margin on the product. If you want to achieve a positive ROI when setting up a sampling campaign, it is important to consider the above factors: The cost of the sample and the campaign, the percentage of consumers who try the product, the percentage who proceed to a repeat purchase, the number of sales per year and the margin on the product.
Sampling at Lime Factory
Sampling werkt het beste als de doelgroep, de context en het gebruiksmoment goed op het product aansluiten. Bij Lime Factory zijn we altijd op zoek naar deze perfecte match. We meten onze samplingcampagnes en kunnen zo de juiste kanalen met de producten verbinden. Wil je er meer over weten? Neem dan contact met ons op.