One easy example of consumer research by product sampling is the small counters in supermarkets where some brands give away free samples to the consumers to test. Ever wondered what is the logic behind that?
This article will clarify:
- what product sampling is,
- how to get consumer insights by product sampling,
- what benefits it brings to businesses,
- and what is the newest version of it in modern times.
What is product sampling?
Product sampling is the handing out of free samples of your products to potential customers with the intention of receiving feedback from them. This feedback helps detect the weaknesses and strengths of a product. Moreover, product sampling promotes brand awareness if you're new to the market.
Read more: Definitive Guide About Product Sampling
How to get consumer insights by product sampling?
Product sampling, as a reliable method to collect consumer insights, has been practiced since the 1850s. There are different ways to get insights after handing out the product samples:
- Surveys: You can ask for feedback over the telephone, emails, online forms or in person. The survey should be designed in a way that gets the exact data you need from the consumer.
- Observation: This method allows you to directly monitor your consumers experiencing your product and their reaction. This method is used mainly in traditional product sampling campaigns in supermarkets or shopping malls.
- Diary Study: In this long-term technique, the consumers keep a diary of their experience and interactions with a product along a certain period of time. Then, they share the data with the company to contribute to their consumer insights research campaign.
Also read: Seven Consumer Research Methods; 2022 Version
What's so important about customer insights?
It's the key to saving your main resources: money, time, material.
Consumer insights research by product sampling helps you aim your future efforts in the right direction; it minimizes the risk. It tells you if your new or the modified product is widely accepted by your target audience. Consequently, it increases the sales rate.
What else could be more important than that?
Digital product sampling; what is it?
There is no significant difference between traditional and digital product sampling. Both work in the same fundamental way. However, in the digital version, product samples are distributed to the right target group by a third company.
Peekage, as a digital product sampling platform, helps companies run their consumer insights research campaign by product sampling method. What makes Peekage unique is their AI algorithm used to find the right group of people to send the samples to. In the end, a detailed and data-driven report will be sent to the company.
You may be also interested to read: Digital Product Sampling vs. Traditional Product Sampling
Key takeaways:
- Product sampling has been widely used as an advantageous method to collect consumer insights.
- Consumer insights research is vital to every business in order to find the right direction to move towards in the future.
- Digital product sampling is the modern way of distributing product samples to the right group of people with the least waste of material and financial resources.