In this article, we will go over five examples of successful product sampling campaigns that created great value for brands. Also, we briefly explain how you can get started on your own product testing campaign. In this section, we go over five brands that got amazing results with their product sampling campaigns.

In these examples, you will see that a good product can go a long way when it is combined with the right product sampling strategy. Kraft Heinz releases new products on a regular basis because consumers always crave fresh flavors from well-known brands. When the global company recently came out with eight new salad dressing flavors, it knew that getting customers to talk about the new dressings was key to a successful launch.

Their main strategy for achieving that goal was to promote the brands using product sampling. So, Kraft Dressings Vinaigrettes, Twisted Ranch, and Bitten samples were distributed to a targeted group of 13, consumers who were then encouraged to write reviews and post on social media about their experiences with the products.

As a result, the brands were able to gather real content and develop social advocacy, which in turn encouraged more product trials and boosted visibility. The three product sampling campaigns resulted in 98, pieces of user-generated content UGC , 20, reviews, and 39 million impressions from , social posts, shares, likes, and comments from consumers.

According to Elizabeth Northrup, Associate Brand Manager for Kraft Dressings Vinaigrettes, Twisted Ranch and Bitten, these product sampling campaigns over-delivered on their targets, creating 2x the product reviews they expected, and earning media over 5x the program investment.

Glade wanted more people to try out its home air freshener. But as online shopping becomes more popular, fewer customers are visiting physical stores to get free samples or watch product demonstrations. To solve this problem, they enlisted the help of Walmart for a unique product sampling campaign.

Glade took the packing pillows used to protect products during home deliveries and filled them with their air freshener. So, as people unpacked their Walmart purchases and popped their pillows, the scent of Glade's spring fragrance wafted through the air.

They also printed a QR code on the packaging that people could scan to buy Glade's products directly. Ogilvy Chicago, the ad agency behind the campaign, claimed that Glade home fragrances had an 83 percent boost in sales on Walmart. com thanks to this innovative product sampling idea. Beauty Insider, the wildly popular reward program from Sephora , includes product sampling as an integral part and major benefit of its strategy.

The cosmetics company is well-known for providing free product samples with each online order. There are a few reasons why this is a great tactic. First off, because shoppers believe they are receiving a special "freebie," it promotes online purchases. Additionally, loyal customers enjoy the feeling of receiving rewards for their patronage and being appreciated by the brand.

Finally, because the sales happen online and customers can select their own samples, Sephora is able to monitor whether or not those customers go on to purchase the product in their subsequent online shopping session.

If you're wondering how product sampling has worked for Sephora, know that there are 17 million participants in the Sephora reward program in North America alone, and they account for 80 percent of the company's revenue. In , Cheerios saw a chance to take advantage of Amazon's e-commerce algorithms to potentially market its product to over million Amazon Prime members in the US.

Cheerios used product sampling as part of its strategy to capitalize on Amazon Prime Day 16 - 17 June and position Honey Nut Cheerios as Alexa's cereal of choice for Amazon customers.

The advantages were two-fold for Cheerios. In addition to promoting the brand to new customers with a free sample, this transaction automatically created a Cheerios shopping history for millions of Amazon Prime shoppers.

This gave the product a huge boost in Amazon's recommendation algorithm and moved Honey Nut Cheerios to number one in the cereal category and even the number one grocery item on Prime Day. One of the biggest and best-known brewing companies in the world, Anheuser-Busch produces a wide range of popular alcoholic drinks, including Michelob, Bud Light, and Budweiser.

In , when the company launched its hard seltzer brand, Bud Light Seltzer, its existing in-store sampling programs had been discontinued due to the COVID pandemic.

As an alternative, they collaborated with a digital product sampling platform and developed a digital sampling campaign to encourage first purchases, track repeat purchases, create user-generated content, and even spread word of mouth. There can be various reasons brands of any size seek help from product sampling; from brand activation , consumer research to sales promotion , you name it.

Product sampling, so-called product testing or product trial, has always been a tried and tested method to help businesses grow. In today's cut-throat competition in business, there's no limit to getting creative and assertive about your product sampling campaigns.

It always helps to do a brainstorming session and exchange ideas from different backgrounds and sources. Also read: How much does product sampling cost? Is it worth it? Here you can find a list of nine creative product sampling ideas for your next campaign. Where is the best place you can find a big group of people in a happy, positive mood?

Social, music, or sports events. Take advantage of the pre-planned events to introduce your new products to the consumers.

It totally depends on your budget and how big an event you can sponsor. In some cases, you can collaborate with the event management team and run your product sampling campaign at a lower cost and without sponsoring the whole event.

It can be a fun contest, a street show, or an interactive game on a weekend day when people are more likely to attend your event. These types of events are meant to help a lot with sales promotion as well. Making a memorable experience for your target audience makes them more likely to choose your product over all other options available in the market.

That is because they leave your event with a positive feeling and memory and it sticks with them unconsciously. Let's be honest: everybody thinks they're special. Many brands use this simple fact to touch the emotions of their consumers and make a memorable image in their head.

Yves Roches , for example, gives a gift to its customers on their birthday. They can order it online or pick it up from any shop.

Yves Roches, Sephora , Aesop and many other brands have come up with a good beauty products sampling idea. They give away free samples every time their customers make a purchase. This way they're sure the freebies are delivered to the right destination at the least possible cost. Send your samples directly where there's a massive number of your consumers gathered together.

It can be a kindergarten if your product is crayon or colored pencils. They get to use your product almost at the same time and share their experience together. This method can be used for any kind of product: fashion, beauty, edibles, e-commerce products, and whatnot.

Let's say you're introducing a new sauce to the market.

On the flip side, your popular samples can highlight what people like the most about your brand. This illustrates yet another benefit of influencer gifting. When creators post about your product, you can earn authentic and unfiltered feedback.

Note which products and qualities ex: materials, ingredients, features they shout out. Then, emphasize those strengths in your future marketing campaigns. Source: melissaamaakeup. Without getting too scientific, reciprocity occurs when a brand gives a consumer a free sample.

The use of reciprocity in marketing is well-documented. Think about how Costco has made sampling such an important part of the shopping experience for members. Well, product sampling campaigns online have the same effect. When you mail out a sample of your product, you trigger the reciprocity effect.

This increases the chances that recipients become buyers. When you offer an in-person sample, people only get a narrow and limited understanding of your product. For example, a customer might try a perfume sample in the store.

When you offer an in-home sample, people get a chance to use your product as they would if they bought it. This creates a much-needed sense of reassurance. Also, consider how some product sampling campaigns offer a taste of your checkout experience.

This is another way to get new customers familiar with your brand and products. The more time people get to spend engaging with your brand, the more comfortable they are with you.

If nothing else, social media product sampling is a brilliant way to get more user-generated content. This includes customer photos and videos, reviews and more. Source: lewendyy. Real-life product reviews and visual content are among the most important factors that drive purchase intent.

You can earn both at the same time by offering samples. Whether you can realistically build your own program depends on a few key factors, though. On a high level, brainstorm whether or not your brand has the following:.

Note: for companies with limited resources but time to spare, small-scale gifting campaigns are an option. The process of engaging with creators one-on-one to send products is still time-consuming. Still, this method is more manageable than trying to ship out dozens or hundreds of samples at once.

Sampling should be treated like any other marketing tactic. Without getting too much into the nitty-gritty, below is a quick rundown of what needs to be done:.

Offering samples of your products is a proven way to engage interested buyers and build brand loyalty. Anything you can do to make a strong first impression on shoppers is a plus. Combined with strategies like influencer marketing, brands can cover more ground and introduce their products to relevant audiences at scale.

If you're struggling to maximize your influencer marketing strategy in-house, Statusphere can help. Unlike other platforms, we help brands earn guaranteed content.

Statusphere also eliminates the most time-consuming pieces of working with influencers in-house thanks to our advanced matchmaking and fulfillment technology. Want to see how our platform works? Sampling is about more than sending freebies. These creative product sampling ideas illustrate how brands can go above and beyond to delight Traditional product sampling during COVID can be a little tricky.

This method can be used for any kind of product: fashion, beauty, edibles, e-commerce products, and whatnot. Let's say you're introducing a new sauce to the market. You can make an interactive and innovative experience by giving away how-to guides or recipes on how to use the new sauce.

It is a secure way to make a good first impression on the consumers with the new product. The same method can be applied to beauty products. If you're making a new facial mask, add a brief guide and explain how it's going to work best for your consumers. Also read: Product Sampling Safe Haven: Contactless Product Sampling.

Send a tiny sample of your new perfume to anyone who buys clothes from a specific brand. Send a pack of cheese to anyone who orders at an Italian restaurant in a specific area.

There's no limit to how creative you can be. Just think of the best partner in your market and make a win-win deal. On the other side of the deal, the consumers will surely be happy to get a free surprise pack, no matter how small it's going to be.

It must be hard to stand out in a supermarket and attract attention where there are many brands giving away free samples, isn't it? Lay's came up with an unforgettable idea to solve this problem.

They put Lay's machines, which look like regular vending machines, in the supermarkets. The consumers were given free potatoes and they were supposed to put it in the machine to make it work, like you give change or cash to the regular vending machines.

On a screen you can follow the animated process of making chips in six steps and when the video ends, you get your free pack of chips.

It depends on what business you are in, where you are located or what type of products you make, but if possible, you can pick some specific places to install your stands and give away freebies. If you introduced your last product next to a stadium, cinema, or even a supermarket, go back right there for your future product sampling campaigns.

Your brand might already be doing something great but you want to branch out into new avenues and other products. A free sample of your latest goods is an easy way to introduce it to your loyal customers without waiting for people to act on their own accord. Sometimes free samples are about more than just letting people try your new product, but rather a clever way to get more contacts.

If you ask people to sign up with their email addresses in order to receive free samples by mail, you can build a list of potential customers and clients in return.

This could be a single application of hair shampoo, a single protein shake packet, or a single taste tester of your latest food. Although these giveaways can add up, the goal is that people will return to buy the full-sized product eventually.

Some brands give customers the chance to sample a few of their products and return the ones they want, others send you samples of other items along with your order to try and entice you to try something new, and others might offer a one-month trial of a program.

Rather than just giving people free shipping or discounts, you want to look for ways to add a new product that they can actually use. Before you start any form of marketing you need to establish your target market, and this is especially true for product samples.