How sampling your product increases trial, product knowledge and accessibility…
With the cost-of-living crisis already upon us, consumers are revaluating their spending. 80% of households are budgeting for groceries or monitoring their spending more carefully according to this Grocer article from May 2022:
Grocery Shopping Habits*
Across the UK, people are hesitating to pick up unfamiliar products and instead sticking firmly to their shopping lists. The knock-on effect is that NPDs and brands with low market penetration are being overlooked in favour of tried and tested options.
Direct-to-home sampling offers a number of advantages which make it a great option for brand managers looking to launch their products in the next year and disrupt purchasing habits.
Eliminates risk. No one wants to waste money on a product they don’t end up enjoying, especially right now. Sampling mitigates this by allowing people to try before they buy. After trying the sample they can go on to purchase with the confidence that they will enjoy the product.
It’s free to the end consumer. This drastically improves accessibility to new brands by overcoming the financial barrier to trial. Brand Managers will know that a good product sells itself once you’ve tasted it, so putting products in front of consumers at no cost to them increases trial & awareness.
Reaching your target audience in the right environment. Many people are deliberately avoiding marketing activity in supermarkets to avoid over spending. In times like this, the supermarket is not an environment where people have the time or space to digest your marketing material. By reaching people at home, they’re in a better frame of mind to interact with the product and engage with any CTA.
Creates a positive first impression. Small joys mean more when we’re all cutting back. People are treating themselves less so receiving a surprise sample from a trusted retailer builds a meaningful and positive relationship with a brand. It communicates that this company trusts their product is good and it feel intentional when it reaches the end consumer. These emotional ties are incredibly powerful in influencing purchase decisions.
People become risk averse in times of economic hardship so activity that directly addresses these barriers to purchase will be much more effective. Considering the wider economic context makes your marketing strategy more purposeful and ultimately nothing speaks louder or is more powerful than trial.
*https://www.thegrocer.co.uk/consumer-trends/how-is-the-cost-of-living-crisis-affecting-grocery-shopping-habits/667881.article
