Giving out samples on the street is kind of silly. Taking a little cup of urine-colored sports drink or a nasty bag of chips offers little in the way of customer generation and it usually ends up in a messy sidewalk and tired sample givers. But what if you could give away urine-colored sports drinks over the Internet? Now you’re cooking with gas!
Marie Chevrier at Sampler wants to make it easy for companies to give out samples. Users can receive information on how to pick up the samples at stores or special locations via email and social media and the companies gain important demographic and feedback data from the exchange. Instead, then, of a blind “scattering” of samples, you can target samples to specific places and people.
The company raised $1 million from Canadian investors including Bank Development Canada and MaRs IAF as well as David Perkins the ex-CEO of Molson Canada, eh. They have 89 clients and 250,000 customers have used the app to pick up samples.
“Many competitors will focus on re-selling an audience of consumers interested in free product samples. Sampler feels that this is ineffective because it attracts “Freebie Hunters,” consumers who just want free samples. Sampler encourages brands to empower those who already love the brand to try a product from within another product line or to use Sampler as a call to action for the advertisements they are already spending money on, targeting a specific audience,” said Chevrier.
“We understand that handing out product samples on a street corner gives brands very little insight on who they are sampling to and zero opportunity to follow up with them past their initial trial. We developed an SaaS platform that helps consumer packaged goods companies distribute promotional offers digitally and more efficiently. Brands integrate our technology into their own re-marketing channels like social media pages, website or digital and print ads or content.”
The company took part in our TC Radio pitch-off and impressed the judges with their traction and mission. So whether it’s urine-colored sports drinks or packets of peanuts coated in ants, Sampler seems to have things on lock.