Whether you’ve been in the wholesale business for years or you’re just starting out, sending samples of your products to consumers can be a powerful attention-grabbing strategy.
You may not be comfortable with the thought of giving away your merchandise for free. After all, there’s no guarantee you’ll see a return on your investment. But if you really think about it, isn’t that how it is for any marketing strategy?
Product sampling as a marketing tactic works better than ever in this digital age. In part, this is because it can do what no other strategy can: put the physical product in people’s hands.
In today’s post, we’ll discuss how sending samples of your products to potential or existing customers can help your business grow. We’ll also talk about a powerful tool that lets you offer your products at reduced prices or even for free.
So let’s get started!
The Power Of Sending Samples Of Your Products
From a psychological perspective, the two most powerful words in advertising are “new” and “free.” It’s no surprise that people always gravitate towards anything new.
But what about products offered for free? As it turns out, freebies can benefit your business due to the power of reciprocity.
Essentially, people feel obligated to repay favors and gifts. Marketers know this and have learned to use it to their advantage. By offering an individual a product that they don’t have to pay for, said individual returns the gesture by putting more trust in the “giver” and choosing to do business with them.
What Sending Samples Can Do For Your Wholesale Business
By now, you may be asking just how effective sending samples can be for your wholesale business. Before we answer that question, let’s take a look at the image below from BlueSodaPromo.
The image itself is self-explanatory. It shows people’s perception before, during, and after receiving a freebie. It doesn’t matter what their initial expectation of the sample product is; once they find a use for it and are satisfied with their experience, they’ll associate positive feelings with your wholesale business!
How Can Sending Samples Benefit Your Business?
Sending samples to your clientele can benefit your business in various ways. Let’s find out how!
1. It can generate new sales leads
Sales leads are your prospective buyers and clients. Non-customers turn into sales leads when they develop an interest in your offerings, then provide you with their contact information.
Sending samples to these prospects can convince them that your wholesale business values utility. As a result, you encourage them to do business with you.
2. It increases brand awareness
Wholesale marketing is tough work, especially if no one’s buying. And usually, the main reason people aren’t purchasing your products is simple: they haven’t heard of you or your product yet.
Sending samples of your items is a great way of getting your business in front of people. Once you let prospects know who you are and that you’re selling merchandise they need, you increase their chances of buying from you.
3. It encourages feedback
You can’t expect everyone who knows about your products to give you feedback about said products. However, sending samples can increase the likelihood of receiving such feedback.
You can even further increase this likelihood by posting a call to action on your social media platforms. For example, if you have a Twitter account or Facebook page for your wholesale business, you can include a message with each product that says:
“Let us know if you liked the item by typing #GotMyFreeSample on Twitter and Facebook with your feedback!”
You can then re-share the most positive reviews you receive to further improve brand awareness.
4. It shows you have confidence in your product
Your willingness to offer free product samples demonstrates your pride in your product. This confidence can give a consumer a positive impression of your product and company.
Wholesale buyers like doing business with sellers who show confidence in their products. After all, confidence is contagious – even in business. Therefore, showing customers that you hold your products in high regard can make them value said products, as well.
A 3-Step Overview Of The Product Sampling Campaign
Now that you know how product samples can benefit your wholesale business, what should you do next?
Why not run a product sampling campaign? You can achieve this in three simple steps:
Step 1. Determine which products to include in your product sampling campaign
When deciding which products to include in your product sampling campaign, prioritize high-quality items. These should be the items that you’d use yourself.
You don’t need to send out large, expensive samples. In fact, lumpy packages, no matter how small, tend to get opened more often than plain, boxy packages. This may assist you in determining which items to send to your recipients.
Step 2: Choose the customers to send your free samples to
When choosing whom you’ll be sending samples to, targeting the right audience is crucial. First, you must identify the bulk of your potential customers. Then, you need to design your sampling strategy based on this information. This way, you can ensure sampling success.
Make sure to let your recipients know that you’re planning on sending samples to them. This will help to set their expectations about your company and products.
Step 3: Send your free samples and hope for the best
Of course, the last step is to send your free samples to your customers.
Like any other marketing strategy, sampling campaigns are a gamble. Thus, you can’t always expect results. However, if you plan and execute your campaigns properly, you may just land a couple of new wholesale buyers and boost your marketing gain!
Wholesale Prices Premium
Wholesale Prices Premium adds wholesale features to your existing WooCommerce store.
One of those features lets you set wholesale pricing and discounts for your products, granting you the power to give away free samples to whomever you wish. Therefore, it helps you achieve what we’ve discussed in this article.
Of course, we’ve loaded Wholesale Prices with other features, including but not limited to the following:
- Shipping, tax, and payment gateways
- Product catalog customization
- Minimum purchase rules enforcement
If you’re looking for an efficient way to set wholesale pricing and discounts, consider checking out Wholesale Prices Premium,
Another tool that can serve you well in regards to sending samples is Advanced Coupons Premium. This WooCommerce plugin allows you to create sales promotions via coupons that are capable of boosting your revenue.
Combine Wholesale Prices Premium with Advanced Coupons Premium for the best results!
Conclusion
Sending samples of your products to consumers can benefit your store in various ways. For this reason, it can prove an indispensable marketing strategy for your wholesale business.
To summarize, sending samples of your products to consumers can:
- Generate new sales leads
- Increase brand awareness
- Encourage feedback
- Prove your confidence in the product
You can accomplish a product sampling campaign by observing the following three steps:
- Determine your sampling campaign products
- Choose the recipient of your samples
- Send your free samples
For more tips on how to grow your wholesale business, we recommend reading the following articles:
- Why Wholesalers Need to Simplify Their Pricing Model
- 6 Wholesale Marketing Materials That You Need To Provide Wholesale Customers
Do you have questions about product sampling campaigns? How about Wholesale Prices Premium, a tool that can help you boost the performance of your wholesale business? Let us know in the comments section below!
