The second instalment of our product sampling guides covers experiential supermarket sampling. This delves into more detail with regards to this specific type of sampling activity. For the planning basics, start with Part 1 of the guide; for booking supermarket campaigns, see our supermarket sampling page.
How It Works
Before we start there is one main caveat to experiential supermarket sampling activity, which is that your product must be or about to be listed within the supermarket chain where the sampling takes place. It is unlikely (but not impossible) that brands which are not available for sale within the supermarket will be allowed to be promoted in their privately owned space. That aside, the good news with experiential supermarket sampling or ‘car park sampling’ campaigns is that there is a huge amount of scope to what can be achieved. It also means that there is an immediate chance to purchase once the consumer has tried your product. As a rule of thumb, space is usually allocated within the parking bays allowing a large promotional event area to be created. There will be little to no constraints on what can be achieved meaning generators, cooking apparatus, vehicles, trailers are all good to go!
The store booking process can usually be handled end to end, with footfall data provided against the stores used. This helps with shaping the geography of the campaign and choosing the locations which are the most important in terms of reaching your target audience. Depending on the supermarket in question, it is usual for the supermarkets to provide sales uplift data too, including sales uplift on the day and uplift over the months that follow, all compared to the pre-sampling sales data. What this does not capture is the brand awareness and exposure for your products within the supermarket chain, and there are further opportunities for coupons or vouchers to drive resulting sales on the day and in the weeks that follow.
Design & Concepts
Now the overview is covered, think about the concept and aesthetics of the campaign. A good proposal process includes a ‘look and feel’ of the concept being created: a sketch or visual of the sampling event to stimulate thoughts and feedback, which then develops into the final sampling programme, matched to the brief and the budget.
Stock Management & Logistics
Stock and logistics range from simple ambient products requiring fulfilment and shipping through to bespoke chilled logistics and storage. Where possible, the existing brand and supermarket supply chain should be used. The thinking is two-fold: tapping into existing supply chains is faster and easier, and avoiding bespoke distribution substantially lowers costs. Put simply, if the additional stock can be ordered into stores for sampling, the programme is much more streamlined and cost-effective. Where that cannot happen, nationwide logistical hubs can handle the collation and distribution of sampling stock. An important consideration is the stock uplift for increased sales on the day: plan for more stock to be available for sale over the sampling days, so potential customers are not disappointed.
Staffing & Implementation
An experiential sampling campaign requires a high quality event area and a well thought out strategy, but is nothing without experienced and well selected promotional staff. On each activity day the team on the ground should fully fit the brand and the campaign. A typical structure uses senior campaign team leaders supported by local samplers:
Campaign Team Leader – Consistent throughout the campaign, responsible for driving the event trailer or vehicle, setting up on-site, organising promotional materials and samples, managing the team and reporting feedback and photography.
Assistant Team Leader – Taking the lead from the Campaign Team Leader, again consistent throughout the campaign, supporting on the main duties and driving the supporting logistics vehicle to each location where required.
Local Supporting Product Samplers – Local sampling staff join each experiential sampling day at busy locations. They take the lead from the team leaders, interacting with the targeted audience and distributing samples. Using local staff increases local knowledge and drastically reduces the costs associated with moving a larger team across the country. They undergo in-depth training and briefing before the activity commences so they seamlessly join the team at their local supermarkets.
Campaign Reporting
Comprehensive feedback and reporting matter on every campaign. Bespoke portals filled out by staff after every shift capture the understanding and consumer responses needed from an experiential supermarket sampling campaign. This is usually reported back in two ways:
Weekly Reports – At the end of each week of activity, feedback is collated and presented online, keeping you fully up-to-date with the campaign. Weekly reports usually include staff and consumer feedback, with photography and video available as part of enhanced reporting packages.
Post Campaign – After the final day of activity, all feedback and reporting from the campaign is collated into a document, available online and in hard copy, and discussed in an end of campaign review looking at all points of the campaign and future activity.
Ready To Book?
If you are planning a supermarket campaign, our product sampling team can usually turn a quote around within hours.
