There are several agencies in the Netherlands and Belgium that organize sampling campaigns. Most do so with the help of promotional teams in public places. Lime Factory differs from them as a sampling agency in that we organize sampling campaigns at retail locations. Consider sampling at a greengrocer, a hairdresser, a coffee corner or through a web shop. We call those locations channels, and we have built up over the years a huge database of partners who are happy to work with us.
Which form of sampling is more effective?
It simply depends on the purpose of your sampling campaign. If you want to have a very large reach in a very short time, sampling in public places such as squares and shopping malls is a good method.
But if you want to reach more targeted (specific) audiences, it’s best to choose a sampling agency such as Lime Factory that samples wherever your specific audience is. This makes for less “waste,” meaning that your sample is significantly more likely to actually reach those who will use your product and probably buy it more often.
A sampling agency knows how to reach your target audience
This brings us directly to one of the most important tasks of a sampling agency: advising on how and where best to reach your target audience. At Lime Factory, we base our advice in part on our vast database of benchmark data and insights gathered about the retail channels we work with. We look not only at target groups but also at brand fit and brand values. Moreover, we feel it is important to always offer our clients choices because there can always be factors at play that we are not or less aware of.
A flawless and worry-free execution
Once the strategy is determined, we as a sampling agency go to work for you. When executing a sampling campaign, a lot is involved and “the devil is in the detail. We ensure that employees at the chosen sampling sites (locations) are informed in detail about what is expected of them. In addition, we also always try to enthuse them so that they become an ambassador of the product. We make sure that the samples are picked up from the customer’s premises and also repackaged if necessary. For refrigerated samples, we provide branded coolers and for THT sampling, we make sure we get products to locations at lightning speed. We also keep a finger on the pulse as a sampling agency during the sampling campaign.
Evaluation
At the end of the sampling campaign, we gather consumer insights(if desired), photos of the campaign and call the locations to ask about their findings and reactions from their customers. We incorporate all of this into a final report that we discuss with our client. In short, a sampling agency like Lime Factory takes a lot of work off your hands and lets consumers experience your product.