There are many ways to launch your new product in store, from display bins through to posters and even price promotions, but sometimes it takes something a little more personal to really get that product in your prospective customers’ faces. Promotional sampling is increasingly finding a place in the marketing mix, and promotions sampling using a fully trained brand ‘expert’, who customers can talk to and ask questions, can be a very effective way of marketing your new product or brand. An in-store brand expert can:

• Increase the number of people who trial the product
• Build awareness
• Educate customers
• Distract from other products

All this leads to an increased number of sales. In-store “demonstrations” have evolved to more effectively and speedily push products off the shelf and into consumers’ shopping baskets. Promotional sampling has developed several variations of in-store promotion to meet a variety of budgets and objectives, from simple in store sampling, to ‘gift with purchase’ promotions, and a hybrid of the two.

So what else do you consider when thinking about promotional sampling? Before you decide to undertake your next in-store promotions sampling, consider the following:

1. What do you want to achieve? Is it sales, overall brand recognition or something else?
2. When is best to undertake the activity? At the weekend, in the evenings, in the day? Is your product seasonal?
3. How much do you have to spend?
4. Are your competitors releasing similar products at the same time? What are they doing to promote their products?

In summary, promotional sampling can be a great way of getting your brand noticed, much better than simple price promotions or display bins. As with almost all types of marketing there are costs to take into account, but don’t overlook promotional sampling when thinking about options for your product launch.