Free Samples
A free sample or "freebie" is a portion of food or other product (for example, beauty products) given to consumers in shopping malls, supermarkets, retail stores, or other venues. Sometimes samples of non-perishable items are included in direct marketing mailings. The purpose of a free sample is to acquaint the consumer with a new product, and is similar to the concept of a test drive, in that a customer is able to try out a product before purchasing it.
Although an expensive method of targeting customers, conversions to sales can range between 20% to 90% for various brands. With effective sampling, marketers can create brand loyalty and assist in the launch of a product through the word of mouth.
Many consumer product companies now offer free samples through their websites, to encourage consumers to regularly use the products, and to gather data for mailing lists of potentially interested customers. Paint chips are samples of paint colors that are sometimes offered as free samples.
Companies such as C.A. Courtesy, Costco, Sam's Club, Food Courts and Grocery Stores give out free samples to customers in order to persuade a customer to buy the product.
The expansion of online marketing with regards to promotional give aways has facilitated the rise of "Freebie sites" that seek to aggregate all promotional free sample offers in one place. These sites will often compile free product samples from all over the web and categorize them by type. Some product sample offers may require consumers to complete a survey or refer a friend in order to qualify for the freebies. When all requirements are fulfilled, the product samples are shipped to the consumer.
Additionally, the advent of the "social graph" and the realization that consumers more and more take cues from each other's reviews, has opened up a new branch of sampling called Social Sampling.
Read more about this topic: Product Sample
Famous quotes containing the words free and/or samples:
“A nation grown free in a single day is a child born with the limbs and the vigour of a man, who would take a drawn sword for his rattle, and set the house in a blaze that he might chuckle over the splendour.”
—Sydney Smith (1771–1845)
“Good government cannot be found on the bargain-counter. We have seen samples of bargain-counter government in the past when low tax rates were secured by increasing the bonded debt for current expenses or refusing to keep our institutions up to the standard in repairs, extensions, equipment, and accommodations. I refuse, and the Republican Party refuses, to endorse that method of sham and shoddy economy.”
—Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)