In-store sampling is a familiar – and generally successful – strategy used by food retailers to introduce new products and to boost sales of existing brands.
As Saatchi & Saatchi X’s Jessica Hendrix noted recently on Focus on Suppliers, when it comes to selling to Millennials, offering samples can be especially profitable.
“Millennials are three times more likely than their non-Millennial counterparts to purchase snacks and alcoholic beverages when they have had the opportunity to sample them,” she said.
That’s because Millennials care about the experience of a particular product – the way it tastes and the way it feels when they consume it. They also like information on products they engage with. They want to know about the ingredients and the way the product is made. Offering in-store samples is a way to let Millennials both experience a food or drink and give them information about the product.
In thinking about opportunities to connect with Millennials, Hendrix advised, make sure to communicate with them and give them all the information they need in-store to make their purchasing decisions. The more they know upfront, the more likely they are to buy.
