Welcome to the first instalment of our product sampling guides. Part 1 gives an overview of the things to consider when planning a sampling campaign: what to sample, who to sample to, where to do it and how to measure it. If you are looking to book a campaign rather than plan one, our product sampling staff page covers what we supply.
What Do You Want To Sample?
This is usually the first question in any campaign plan. The answer shapes locations, timings, equipment and the sampling staff required. Start by categorising the product by the preparation it needs:
Non-Ambient Products – Requiring Preparation
Think of this as products which need any type of preparation before they are ready to be distributed to your targeted audience in the field. Immediate examples of this are food products that need cooking, heating or chilling before they can be served (from ice cream to hot curry). This type of product sampling requires much more consideration than ambient products, in terms of equipment required, timing considerations, suitable sampling locations and the health and safety of preparing products in the field.
Ambient Products – Ready To Sample
This is products that are immediately ready to distribute to the targeted audience. This is generally ambient products that require no preparation, can be distributed in their original packaging and can be consumed immediately (e.g. drinks, packaged snacks, confectionery). It can also be sample sized products which give the consumer a small example of a larger product (e.g. cosmetics). This form of ambient sampling is the simplest and gives the largest scope for location choice.
Who Do You Want To Sample To?
The second question in any plan: who are you targeting? Sometimes the answer is ‘everyone’, but in most cases a campaign works best against a defined audience. Think of this as who you want to purchase your product going forward and become part of your customer base. The target audience then drives the location choices, from train stations and supermarkets to shopping centres and high streets. Effective campaigns are usually multi-location, using different days and times to reach potential customers at the most relevant moments of the day, month or year.
Where Do You Want To Sample?
Location follows product and audience. Common options include supermarket sampling, train station sampling, in-store sampling, office sampling and tactical roaming campaigns, and these often combine within a larger strategy. Less mainstream locations are usually possible too, so build the plan around where your audience actually is rather than only the obvious sites.
Activity Reporting
With any promotional campaign and specifically with sampling, you want to know how the campaign went: What did your future customers think? Will they buy this product now? Had they heard of the brand before receiving a sample? The answers help to plan future campaigns and marketing.
Reporting should be discussed as part of any campaign plan: agree upfront the information and data you want back from the campaign, and how feedback, photography and video will be handled during and after the activity. Enhanced reporting packages are worth considering where detailed performance insight matters.
Next Time…
Now the basics are out of the way, Part 2 of this guide covers experiential supermarket sampling and the hows, whens and what ifs which come with this high impact sampling strategy.
Ready To Book?
If you have an immediate requirement, our product sampling agency team can usually turn a quote around within hours.
