ACTIVATE — Sampling
Product sampling that turns trial into repeat purchase
Sampling puts your product into consumers' hands so taste, texture or effect does the selling. FOTS plans sampling around your stockists and your target consumer, staffs it with briefed teams, and reports samples delivered, conversations had and sales impact, so trial shows up as rate of sale rather than a nice day out.
The problem we solve.
Sampling fails when it is disconnected from distribution: thousands of samples handed out where nobody can buy the product afterwards, with no record of who tried it or what happened to sales.
How sampling works with FOTS.
- 01
Plan around distribution
We choose locations by stockist proximity and consumer fit, so every sample has a purchase available within reach.
- 02
Brief the team
Teams are briefed on the product story, the key message and the ask, and know which nearby stores stock it.
- 03
Sample and convert
Trial plus a clear next step: buy it here, scan this, take this voucher to the store on the corner.
- 04
Measure the lift
Samples delivered, conversations, redemptions where used, and rate of sale in the surrounding stores before and after.
What you get
- Sampling plan by location, date and stockist
- Permits and site liaison where required
- Briefed sampling teams and team leaders
- Branded kit, stands and point of sale
- Consumer conversations and data capture where consented
- Post-campaign report with photography
Where we deliver it
- In store and front of store
- Street and high footfall locations
- Gyms, offices and campuses
- Events and festivals
- Transport hubs
How we measure it.
Every campaign reports against the numbers a commercial team actually uses.
- Samples delivered
- Consumer conversations
- Redemptions or scans where used
- Stores supported
- Rate of sale change in supported stores
Proof.
Neutonic — Taking a fast-growing drinks brand into London retail.
- 3,000+
- stores visited
- 2,049
- samples delivered
- 678
- orders
- 6,114
- cases sold
See it in the field.
FOTS team delivering in-market sampling activity 
NEOH in-store tasting in London convenience retail 
Oatco Superfuel workplace sampling 
NEOH tasting stand in wholesale
Does product sampling actually drive sales?
Trial close to the point of purchase converts strongly, particularly in food, drink and personal care where the product sells itself once tried. The lift is largest when sampling is planned around stores that stock the product.
How many samples does a campaign need?
Enough to create visible rate of sale in a defined area rather than a thin spread across a city. We size it against your stockist footprint and objective.
Works well with
If your objective is
Frequently asked questions.
- Where can we legally sample?
- In store with the retailer's permission, on private land with the site owner's agreement, and on street where the local authority permits it. We handle the permissions.
- Can sampling be combined with selling in?
- Yes, and it works well: field sales opens the accounts, sampling drives the trial that makes those accounts reorder.
- Do you collect consumer data?
- Only with clear consent and a stated purpose, in line with UK GDPR and PECR.
Talk to us about sampling.
Tell us your objective and we'll tell you what we'd do first.