One Blog |April 11, 2018 | Beverage Sampling Software

POS Marketing - Harness the Full Power of Beverage Samples

Denis Clark

Uncork the True Potential of Beverage Samples and Tastings

Inc. Magazine published a story titled, “How to Use Samples to Promote Your Product.”

The article starts off outlining how a start-up coffee shop named Gordon Grade Coffee Company aimed to use a large-scale sampling effort at a university during finals time.

With the usual goal of translating sammpling into actual business, such an effort, especially during an important time in a company’s ramp up stage, has risk, but also significant potential.

The article discusses a variety of products and emphasizes the need to know why you’re sampling, what product is best to sample, and what audience to target.

In OnTrak Software’s business, which in part focuses on tracking, managing and measuring beverage alcohol samples and as well as other point-of-sale (POS) marketing materials, the importance of HOW to sample is obviously quite relevant.

Take It Up A Notch and Capture Customer Feedback — With SampleTrak

However, OnTrak takes sampling much further.

Once beverage distributors have a strong sampling plan in place, OnTrak encourages distributors to “sample” its beverage sampling software solution.

Samples are great, but why not use them to actually gain consumer feedback? It’s the logical next step instead of simply waiting to see if samples eventually translate into more sales.

Let’s face it — the effectiveness of samples can be a problem if a restaurant or store doesn’t track the information they need to see what works and what doesn’t.

Additionally, if an audit trail for inventory isn’t maintained, do you really know where samples are going, or what percentage is truly being used for its intended purpose?

Without tracking, samples really can’t serve a definitive role in your long-term business strategy.

Here’s What Beverage Distributors Can Turn To

SampleTrak software can help you capitalize on market share opportunities and get more from sampling programs by providing detailed information. Our software:

Records and reports on beverage samplings
What was sampled, where and to whom, with tasting comments
Ties this data together to show how your sampling efforts correlate to sales results.
Tracks sample inventory and costs
Provide information to improve supplier bill-back recovery

Conclusion

Once you know what’s really going on with your samples, you’re ready to fully harness their potential.

In the Inc. article, it mentions that the coffee company was planning to offering more than 2,000 samples of its product during one major campaign.

Imagine the value of tracking the feedback from each and every one of those samples.