E-commerce professionals are increasingly turning to digital sampling marketing as a way to increase brand awareness, sales, and customer loyalty. This is because this type of campaign does something that almost no other can achieve: placing a physical item in the hands of a consumer. And it works.
We’ll look in depth at what digital product sampling means – or product sampling in the e-commerce world – and how this tactic is used in digital marketing to reach more consumers and sell more products.
What is digital sampling marketing?
Sampling marketing is a way to draw attention to a brand and nurture customer relationships by experimenting with the product sold. Today, it goes beyond just sending “free samples” or distributing giveaways in launches and can be applied in different situations, such as:
- Make a point-of-sale (POS) product sample stand for cases where they are also sold in physical stores;
- Send surprise samples to customers, either as a stand-alone item or as a free gift when ordering;
- Distribute sample in places of interest to the target audience, even if it has no direct link to the items sold, such as events, shows, etc .;
- Choose digital influencers from the industry to send the product for free in exchange for spontaneous content about the item (unlike paid partnerships, where you pay to speak well of the merchandise). This tactic is mainly used in the case of releases.
These are just a few sampling marketing possibilities that help bring brand awareness and reach new consumers.
If a customer likes a gift received, it does not mean that they will buy it online. However, even if there’s no direct conversion, it’s a great way to bring brand visibility and customer experience. A policy already adopted by some brands is to offer discount coupons for in-store purchases for use in e-commerce.
