When growing your business, often the last thing you want to do is give things away for free. However, as the age-old saying goes, sometimes you need to spend money to make money. Offering free samples is a great way of doing just that. This practice may seem quite basic at first glance, but it can be a highly beneficial tactic for improving overall sales. This guide explores three reasons why giving away free samples can boost your sales and benefit your marketing strategy as a whole.
Increased traffic
There’s no denying that customers love free stuff. It stands to reason, therefore, that offering free samples is a great way to increase traffic to your shop or experiential marketing display. These free samples serve as an incentive for consumers to visit your display and can get your foot in the door for new customers. The more people who visit your display in hopes of obtaining a free sample, the more people will also stick around to hear more about your products, services, and company. The samples may be what gets consumers in the door, but it will be your products and services that get them to stay. The higher volume of traffic your display receives, the higher your potential for sales will also become.
Increased trust
Consumers want to know that the products they purchase are of good quality and will perform exactly as they’re supposed to. Offering free samples or demonstrations of a product is the perfect way to display just that. Offering samples to your consumers allows them to experience the products before purchasing them. This assures them that the quality will be up to their standards and will, therefore, be worth the purchase in the long run. The more trustworthy a customer perceives a company and product to be, the more likely they are to purchase their products and eventually become a loyal customer.
Increased brand awareness
At the end of the day, one of the best reasons why giving away free samples can improve your sales is that it operates as a bit of free marketing. Even with the prevalence of social media and digital marketing, C2C and word-of-mouth marketing often reign supreme. Consumers are more likely to take the recommendations of a trusted friend or family member over that of a large corporation. Providing samples of your products lends credibility to the recommendations of said friends and family, and consumers will be more likely to purchase your products as a result. Marketing through this word-of-mouth tactic allows you to broaden your customer base with the only cost being that of the samples themselves.
