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by Jenna Movsowitz
TOP TIPS FOR IN-STORE SAMPLING For the past two years, COVID-19 halted a grocery shopping favorite of consumers and brands alike: in-store sampling. This pause in oneto-one experiences significantly reduced opportunities for consumer feedback and trial – a frustration for established brands, but a potential growth stunt for emerging brands. Luckily, as restrictions now ease across the country, we will start to see a sampling comeback. I spoke with Daniel Quinones of Front Page Retail, a retail marketing solutions company, to learn his top tips for emerging brands to make the most of their return to, or perhaps first-ever, in-store demos 20
YOUR BRAND AMBASSADOR IS EVERYTHING At an in-store demo, it all starts with the individual you bring on board as your brand ambassador. “This person should be quick to share information and get people to listen to it,” says Quinones. Brands often make the mistake of having people in stores who fear approaching consumers. While Quinones says it is true that consumers typically don’t like to be sold, “they are craving information.” Within 10 seconds, the brand ambassador must be able to communicate the most critical information to the consumer – a message that will translate into sales for your product or brand.
ASK A QUESTION THAT LEAVES THEM THINKING “The most successful demos we have worked on are the ones where we ask consumers a question that will leave them thinking,” Quinones notes. Any product should be able to come up with a question that communicates what is the most unique attribute of the product against what is already in the market. This instills a sense of intrigue, but more importantly, leaves the shopper feeling that they cannot miss out on this unique opportunity. For example, when the Front Page team was sampling Craize corn crackers, the
brand ambassadors would stop shoppers to ask: “have you ever tried a corn cracker before?” This simple question instantly communicates the products USP, and gives the consumer a reason to pause and think. In that time, the brand ambassador would feed additional details. “Once they are there, it’s very rare they will walk out without trying your product.”
