Trends in Sampling: Engage and Measure

The in-store sampling model is changing. Brands and retailers are moving beyond simply having a “Mabel at the Table,” as some put it, to using “engagement specialists” who create one-on-one interactions with shoppers. And the results, which are increasingly measurable, are being influenced by social media.Big-box retailers such as Walmart and Target and health-oriented grocers such as Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s have ramped up their use of sampling, says Dave Musiel, vice president of marketing for PromoWorks, Schaumburg, Ill. “Those stores believe very strongly in interaction with their customers.”With a different perspective on training and educating sales personnel, Musiel says, “we’re seeing an upgrade in talent” to people who “can talk about the brand with some authority.”“Sampling gives a person an opportunity to have a personal experience with the brand,” says Larry Burns, president and CEO of StartSampling, Carol Stream, Ill. “You break through the clutter.”“One-on-one interactions – that’s what marketers dream of,” says Pete Reininga, senior vice president of marketing at Overland, Kan.-based The Sunflower Group. “We do hundreds and sometimes thousands of them a day in a store. … When you’re on the 1-yard-line, you’ve got the opportunity to close the sale. That’s pretty powerful. That’s what our clients are looking for – making those conversions.”And retailers are embracing the tactic, Reininga says. “It used to be on the corner of their desk; now they’re saying, ‘This is a nice thing we can do for our shoppers.’ The retailers play such a major role in a quality sampling program. To have their buy-in, to have their support … is really critical.”Sam’s Club, for example, uses sampling to highlight solutions for customers – and not just meal solutions, says Matt Herlevic, demo team senior director. Other categories – from vitamins to adult beverages to electronics – are included in sampling or demo programs. “We provide solutions so [shoppers] don’t have to think too much about that,” he says. “You don’t want them to buy 50 burritos and take them home and hope they like them. Having samples out on the table matters to [Sam’s] members.”Sunflower has worked more intentionally on gaining shopper feedback, providing brands and retailers “pictures, video clips and audio clips that give more of a clear picture of how consumers are reacting to their products in the store,” says Reininga. The downside: “The technology is expensive, and integrated iPads in the store can be a challenge.”PromoWorks’ Dan Lyman, vice president, shopper insights and strategy, says sampling is no longer just “one tactic among many. Instead of doing one or two events per weekend, they’re trying to ramp up to three to six on an ongoing basis,” he says. “The model is beginning to change rapidly.”Quantifiable ResultsMeasuring shopper behavior enables retailers to track performance and see what kind of sales lift they get, StartSampling’s Burns says. “Sampling has always been very effective. What’s changed is our ability to target, which is something the brands have always wanted.”GfK, New York, recently conducted independent studies of 30 PromoWorks sampling efforts to shed light on potential sales lift. “In the past, sampling wasn’t measurable, wasn’t accountable. It was hard to get a budget for it,” PromoWorks’ Musiel says. “We’re now providing [clients] with a measureable receipt that they can use to calculate ROI.”In summary, GfK found that new products receive a 329% sales lift on the day the sampling promotion starts, while established products receive a 442% lift. If the sampled products are a line extension, the lift is 1,581%. Overall, the brand’s family of products receives a 172% lift.And 20 weeks down the road, sales lift numbers are 60% for the new products, 57% for the established products, 221% for the line extensions, and 29% for the brand family.Results like that have encouraged brand campaigners to think beyond the typical types of products, expanding their efforts from shelf-stable products to frozen and refrigerated foods as well as product demos of non-food items, Musiel says. Additionally, private label-oriented sampling has seen an uptick. GfK found a 310% sales lift in private labels items on the day of engagement, and a 38% lift 20 weeks later.Social SupportSunflower’s Reininga says social media can multiply the reach of sampling. “The goals are to make it more viral or expand what’s happening in the store,” he says. “I’m getting a sample in the store, and I’m excited about it, so now I can tell my friends about it.”Sam’s Club chatter on Twitter frequently buzzes about sampling, Herlevic says. “It’s probably one of the top five [topics]. People do talk about their experiences, things they like and things they don’t like.”StartSampling’s Burns sees social media as a way not only to drive traffic to the store and generate reviews, but also to offer samples-by-mail. “Until we can figure out how to send it through the phone, there’s still a time lag,” he says. But “providing a sample mailed to the home, that’s something the online world is very good at.”Going ForwardBurns, who’s StartSampling expects to release a report this summer with its latest findings, says he has been part of an effort to create a sampling-oriented association that would explore best practices in strategies and tactics. He says he’s talked with about 30 companies and held a meeting for the first time in late May to explore the possibility.“Which tactic, among all the potential ways one can provide samples, works the best?” Burns says. “Sampling is a more-than-$2 billion industry in the United States, but the percentage of marketing spend is relatively small. That’s part of the reason for us to speak about its overall value.”

Trends in Sampling: Engage and Measure

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