The US Postal Service (USPS) plans to deliver free product samples to homes in a test campaignnext month to boost its direct marketing activities.
The US postal operator will distribute a “Samples Showcase” box of assorted beauty, health andsnack food items from diverse consumer packaged goods companies. The boxes will be branded with thePostal Service logo and include the tagline “A selection of free product samples.”
The box will be distributed nationally on a limited basis as well as in larger quantities toconsumers in Charlotte, NC, and Pittsburgh, during the test, USPS said in a statement. According toresearch, 81% of consumers will buy a product after they receive a free sample, and most prefer tosample products at home.
Another strategy behind the pilot test is making sure that direct mail is the sampling method ofchoice. The co-op box concept, which allows candy bars to be marketed with skin lotions, forexample, is expected to make direct mail sampling more attractive because it allows multiplemanufacturers to share in the marketing and postage costs of the programme.
“Consumer packaged goods companies are always looking for new ways to build brand awareness fortheir products,” said Robert F. Bernstock, president, Mailing and Shipping Services. “One methodthey often turn to is providing trial-size samples to consumers. A large and growing industry,product sampling offers the Postal Service the potential for millions of dollars of added revenue.”</p>
The Postal Service will conduct research to determine the cost-effectiveness of the programmeand the value it provides to manufacturers and consumers.
“Mail is the only medium that really enables marketers to do this,” said Bernstock. “It providesaccess to people’s homes, and it can be tracked to determine if the samples actually convert tosales.”
