Samples Sell

Everyone loves samples! This comes as no surprise, but it relates a lot more to the promotional products industry than one might imagine. A sample can provide the customer with a multi-sensory experience that will have them begging for more!

This makes sense at face value. Your end-buyer can visualize the packaging, feel the product and see the imprint, sparking ideas for future promotional opportunities. To top it all off, they taste the delicious food!

Survey says: 77 percent of distributors thought the best way to sell food gift programs was by putting either a random or spec sample in hands of the end buyer. Let’s remember that over 50 percent of the spec samples we produce generate orders! Handing out something for free seems a bit counterintuitive, but the ROI speaks for itself: samples generate sales!

At Maple Ridge Farms, we have you covered! No matter what the sample opportunity is, we have the solution.

(Click here for samples.)

Tasting is believing! This article from The Atlantic shows how Costco implemented sample programs so well at their stores that customers sometimes go to the store just for the pleasure of sampling food! Though that alone isn’t bringing money in the door, the article discusses the psychological factors of samples that do help the bottom line.

• Customers get an unconscious desire for reciprocity, with many feeling inclined to return the favor of the sample with a purchase. Customers also feel like they owe something to the person providing the samples, given that the provider is known to them
• Samples remind customers of a craving that they didn’t know they had. Who is only able to have a small piece of chocolate without desiring more? Beyond this, we’ve previously written about the benefits of incorporating a surprise element to this. Surprising your clients with a sample will not only help to create demand, it will also further your relationship with them and make them more loyal to your brand.

To help you implement this strategy, Maple Ridge Farms offers random and spec samples at 50 percent off EQP through the end of October. We will ship them directly to your client and even enclose a personal note card from you at no extra charge. The bottom line is this: Samples sell! Order yours today or connect with us at Hello@MapleRidge.com to learn more.

Stay hungry!