If product sampling is one of the more expensive ways to market to a consumer, brands may wonder if it is a worthwhile investment. Research however, indicates sampling as being the preferred way for consumers to receive a brands 'message: 94% of females running households felt sampling gave them a better idea of a new product than advertising. When asked, What would induce you to try a new product or brand?", 73% of consumers stated "product sample," while only 25% answered "television advertising.

While the only reason for product sampling is to induce trial, sampling has been shown to be successful in delivering various objectives and under many situations.

With over 30,000 different products on shelf in the average grocery store and with the typical consumer receiving as many as 3,000 advertising messages a day, sample trial is one of the few ways which guarantees a brand due consideration from its target audience. While the only reason for product sampling is to induce trial, sampling has been shown to be successful in delivering various objectives and under many situations, these include: bringing competitors users to your brand, replenishing your brands consumer base and overcoming an undesirable impression of your brand.

Brands can bring new users into their franchise by sampling competitive users especially if theirs is the superior product in their category. Or, if a brand has a better value equation than the superior brand, consumers may decide to forego superiority in favour of the better value. Since many younger consumers are beginning to adopt preferences, product sampling can contribute to brand loyalty among these new users. Product sampling may help the brand reposition itself with consumers, assuming samples are distributed through a sampling program which has high trial numbers.

Sampling provides a unique opportunity to drive trial amongst your target audiences and is one of the very few methods of which guarantees brand consideration. In addition to the uses and benefits of sampling stated above there are many more which may prove useful for a brand; for further details please refer to the attached report provided by SEA (Sampling Effectiveness Advisers).