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📆 Friday, 16^th February 2024 

Hi, and welcome back to Growth Espresso - your one-stop destination for everything e-com.

It’s Friday. Hope you’ve had a great week so far!

In this Espresso ☕️, we’re talking about an underrated trick which will elevate your customer experience to the next level - Sampling

We’ve all seen that. Free samples or products handed out in supermarkets and we’ve all been guilty of overloading on them at some point. A lot of D2C ecom brands are taking this trick online and it works magic on increasing your customer LTV and making them happy post-purchase ❣️ 

But like with everything, you must know what you’re doing to get the best results. So today, we’re covering everything you need to know about sampling and how it can bring goodness to your business ✨ Let’s get right into it 👇️ 

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📍 What is Product Sampling?

Product sampling is when companies give out free samples to customers to achieve different goals, like selling more of a product, keeping customers loyal, or getting more people to know about their brand. It used to happen mostly in stores, like supermarkets or beauty shops, to help customers feel more confident about buying. Nowadays, with online shopping taking over, companies might include free samples in orders you make online.

💰️ How Can It Bring Value To My Business?

1. Experiential Marketing Magic: Want to hype up new products or clear out old stock? Try samples! It's like the VIP pass of e-commerce with a 100% open rate.

2. Beating Buyer's Block: Customers online are cautious. Give them a sneak peek with samples to ease their minds. It's like window-shopping from your couch.

3. Data-Driven Decisions: Forget guesswork; data tells you what samples will seal the deal. It's like matchmaking for products and customers.

4. No More Store Strolls: Why gamble on foot traffic when you can reach everyone online? Get samples to them, wherever they are, hassle-free.

5. Post-Purchase Perfection: Last impressions count! Surprise and delight customers with samples in their orders. It's like getting a bonus gift with your purchase.

6. Money-Savvy Moves: Scale up without breaking the bank. Online sampling is global, low-cost, and easy to integrate. It's like marketing on autopilot.

✨ What Are Some Amazing Ways to Do This?

1/ Enticing purchases of full-size products

Looking to boost sales? It's not just about tossing out freebies and hoping for the best.

Take a page from Kosas' playbook. They've flipped the script by curating sampler kits priced at $35, with individual samples going for $3-5. Yeah, you read that right, they're charging for samples. But here's the genius part: customers can use that cash towards buying full-sized goodies. It's a win-win. People get to try products they're invested in, both financially and emotionally, while Kosas reels them into a cycle of repeat purchases. Smart move, right?

2/ User-generated content campaigns

User-generated content thrives on social media because folks trust other customers more than the brand itself. Unlike influencer posts, UGC shines when regular fans rave about a product. Stats show 79% are swayed by UGC, while only 8% care about influencer content.

To get awesome user-generated content, give customers something cool to rave about. Keep them buzzing with a steady sampling program so they always have something new to chat about with the crew.

3/ Rewarding Loyalty

Loyalty programs rock for keeping folks coming back, but they gotta offer real perks. Peeps are all about experiences now, not just boring discounts. Like, almost a third of consumers wanna see cooler rewards, especially Millennials. They're all about that variety, with 81% craving more exciting options.

Editor’s corner ✒️ 

In conclusion, sampling is a versatile marketing tool that adapts well to the digital age, offering numerous benefits for businesses. Whether enticing purchases, generating user content, or enhancing loyalty programs, sampling remains a powerful strategy to engage customers, drive sales, and foster brand loyalty in today's competitive market.

Reading recommendations

Today, I am recommending some of my favourite newsletters in the space which have personally helped me grow as a professional. Give them a shot, you won’t regret it 👉️ 

1/ Stacked Marketer

Delivered fresh every weekday, carefully curated digital marketing news, tech, and actionable advice can be consumed in 7 minutes or less.

Subscribe to them!

2/ DTC Daily

Join 18,000 CEOs, founders, and marketers to stay up to date on the latest news, tips, and tools impacting their DTC business.

Subscribe now