Maintaining consumer loyalty and retaining their attention is a very difficult task. With the evolution of times, the marketing patterns and consumer perceptions have changed a lot, to assist one of the oldest techniques product sampling program has been aiding the companies. A product sampling program is regarded as one of the easiest ways to start building customer loyalty and familiarize the audience with the brand.
Why is a Product Sampling Program Important for a company’s Business?
Building awareness for the brand
When a company offers free samples of its product, they remove the risk for the consumer. The consumer gets the chance to try the company’s product without any upfront investment. Giving the customers a chance to experience the product firsthand before their purchase gives the company a much higher chance of boosting brand awareness. A product sampling program is an amazing way of presenting a new product to the target customers and building its awareness.
Helps in producing more user-generated content
Generating more customer reviews for one’s product is a very critical task. A product sampling program allows a company with the perfect opportunity to generate more ratings, along with reviews, and additional content related to the user. By offering free products in the form of samples in exchange for some feedback, any company will receive a massive upswing in ratings and reviews.
Helps in building a relationship
A product sampling program is helpful at the time of the launch of a new brand or product of any company. It is vital for a company to establish positive relationships with every potential customer. By providing potential customers with their products, a company can begin to build the foundation of trust and loyalty within the target market.
•Methods that assist a product sampling program
Direct sampling
Direct sampling offers a company’s brand a chance to connect with the ultimate customer before providing them with a product sample. Depending on the market environment dry or wet sampling can be used. Dry sampling process offers the customer to try the company’s product at home whereas wet sampling allows a consumer to try the product and provide quick reviews. Wet sampling is considered the most popular form of product sampling for brands. Dry sampling is the most effective form of product sampling in the market. Dry sampling has a physical reach towards the audiences with the help of face-to-face contact that is hard to avoid. A good brand ambassador can help to lead product sampling with the help of dry sampling into sales, through their excessive knowledge and enthusiasm for the product. Face-to-face contact allows a company’s brand to build strong bonds with its customers, this is very important and it also encourages customers to keep returning to a particular company. Letting a customer try the product as a sample before they make a purchase helps them to make secure purchases after interacting with the brand and with experience.
Indirect sampling
This form of sampling possesses no direct physical interaction with the ultimate customer. Indirect sampling is considered an effective way to promote a product as there is no way to know if the consumer liked the product or no quick way to receive reviews. A form of indirect sampling, E-sampling is seen when a customer orders some products, the brand will either send samples of their products or partner up with a brand that fits within their target audience.
Brands partner up with other companies as they are also involved in selling to a similar audience but are not in competition. Brands that are complementary to one another can come out to be the best partners. A product sampling program allows the customer to test the product without any risk, as it helps in creating a positive brand experience. The delivery of the product shouldn’t come out to be pushy as the customer should be comfortable with the activation of the product sample. Because of this reason, e-sampling is often considered a better choice when considering the implementation of a product sampling program for a large audience.
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Although it can be hard to get feedback on the product at times as the customer is surprised by the complimentary sample and therefore it is received by the consumer in a positive way. A product sampling program is a great way and a positive way for any business to promote its brand to the masses and create brand awareness. A new product can easily build a market for itself with the help of a nicely executed and correctly planned product sampling program. A product sampling program can allow the potential customers to interact beforehand with a product and experience it, which allows them to create a perception of the product and then decide upon the purchase of the product. The success of any business depends on this very first step of the marketing campaign.