The Effect of In-store Sampling on the Sale of Food Products

The Effect of In-store Sampling on the Sale of Food Products

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The Effect of In-store Sampling on the Sale of Food Products

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Langue

English

Marketing Bulletin, 1990, 1, 1-6, Article 1

Page 1 of 6

http://marketing-bulletin.massey.ac.nz

The Effect of In-store Sampling on the

Sale of Food Products

Michelle Lawson, Dalton McGuinness and Don Esslemon

t

The effect of in-store sampling promotions was monitored for six products in a large, modern

supermarket. During the promotions, sales of the products concerned rose very substantially. This was

offset to some extent by a decline in sales in the weeks following the demonstration. Sales of

competing products fell slightly during the promotions, typically by around 10%. The direct costs of

holding a sampling demonstration, excluding costs of managerial staff time and of the product used in

the demonstration, were generally found to exceed the immediate increase in net sales revenue during

the event. It was not possible to estimate the value of any long-term benefit there may have been from

increasing product awareness.

Keywords: sales promotion, product trial

Introduction

A recent review of the published literature (McGuinness 1988) found claims that in-store

sampling in the USA frequently resulted in sales five to l0 times higher than before

promotions. At the conclusion of sampling, sales figures were believed to remain above the

base level for up to 12 weeks. There was, however, little reported empirical research to

support these claims.

In-store sampling has recently become popular in New Zealand. Although the potential

benefits of in-store sampling are well known, companies are usually reluctant to provide

information which would enable the merits of this promotional technique to be assessed

dispassionately.

This paper reports on a small-scale investigation into the effect of in-store sampling on the

sale of food products within New Zealand. The objectives of the study were:

1.

To investigate the influence of in-store sampling on product sales both during and

after the promotion;

2.

To analyse the effect of in-store sampling on the sales of key competitors; and

3.

To compare the financial benefits of in-store product sampling with the costs

incurred.

Method

Data was collected in a major supermarket during July and August, 1989. During this period

sampling promotions were held for three meat products, a bread product, and two types of

biscuit.

Visits were made to the supermarket each Saturday evening, at the end of the week's trading.

The supermarket provided data derived from checkout scanners of sales of the sampled