The US Postal Service (USPS) is planning to offer new home delivery options for product samplesas a new revenue stream as the traditional mailstream increasingly dries up.
The US postal operator recently hosted the 2012 USPS Sampling Innovation Symposium, aninformation forum featuring consumer packaged goods (CPGs) and advertising agency leaders fromacross the country to develop creative strategies on growing a home-delivery product samplingprogramme. A recent study by Opinion Research Corp found that 81% of consumers will buy a productafter they receive a free sample, and most prefer to sample products at home.
Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe told participants: “Product sampling is big business and anopportunity for the USPS to utilise its expansive network to reach millions of potential customers.Both retailers and brands are constantly seeking new and exciting ways to impact consumers and theUS Postal Service has the best infrastructure to deliver those products.”
Recently, USPS conducted a successful pilot product sampling programme nationally deliveringabout 500,000 co-op sample boxes to homes in several key markets to test the idea of a sample co-opbox, Sample Showcase. This pilot has since invigorated shared sampling as various othercompanies have launched similar programmes.
The opportunity to energise USPS’s relationship with its customers through product sampling witha comprehensive, end-to-end solution led to the first-ever symposium. Key leaders inconsumer-packaged goods and advertising agencies participated in group brain-storming sessions,developed business growing opportunities and collaborated in crafting innovative new ideas.
“CPGs are always seeking out cost-effective, creative sampling solutions to introduce consumersto a product in the right place, inside the consumer’s home,” said Mike Head, partner at theFearless Group and former worldwide vice president at Johnson & Johnson. “The forum was arefreshing opportunity to sit down with USPS and generate potential turnkey solutions to enhanceour businesses and the customer experience.”
“Mail is the only medium that really enables marketers to do this,” said Marc McCrery, USPSexecutive manager for the sampling programme. “It provides access to people’s homes, and it can betracked to determine if the samples actually convert to sales.”
USPS said it will launch sampling opportunities inspired by the symposium over the next year,leveraging the aspects of cost effectiveness, simplicity and connectivity points that were sharedthroughout the event.
