In-Store Food Sampling: Ideal For New Products

At 79, Robert Amyot does not look his age at all. We would give him 65 at most. In top shape, he loves his work: sampling the Bootlegger BBQ sauce, a Quebec product made in Charlevoix, near La Malbaie.

“I work all day with the public and I go pretty much everywhere, even as far as Sherbrooke,” says Robert who lives in Verdun and whom we met in Sainte-Adèle.

Its sampling kiosk located in an IGA Extra looks very nice: the product is well identified, with product leaflets and tiny pieces of cucumbers ready to be dipped in Bootlegger sauce (which is really good) so that you can taste it.

In the same store, another sampling is done but this one is conducted by an IGA employee. Mr. Amyot, for his part, works directly for the marketing firm hired by Bootlegger.

The Bootlegger sauce is produced by a steak-house restaurant located near La Malbaie whose historic origin at the turn of the century was to serve alcohol discreetly during prohibition.

Built by a wealthy American, the place is fascinating since it has several secret passages to access a clandestine bar and a gambling room.

To promote such a craft product and endowed with a narrative as rich as the Bootlegger sauce, in-store sampling seems indeed the most sensible approach:

• Consumers can be reached directly at the point of sale, knowing that most purchasing decisions are made on the spot;

• They can taste the product before buying it, which is not possible otherwise;

• The brand values, style and experience can be communicated through the sampling stand and interaction with staffers;

• According to some studies, sales can be increased up to 300% in this way.

Combined with other means such as advertising and promotion, in-store food sampling is a cost-effective marketing tool… especially if the product is really good!

And it is not Robert who will complain.