Opinion Research Corporation found

• 81% of consumers are more likely to try a product after receiving a free sample

As an industry-specific example, Euromonitor International reports that…

• “Free samples” is the fourth biggest influencer for purchasing beauty products

A Nielsen study determined the factors of a purchase that could sway consumers, too.
This kind of information is important in determining which aspect of your product is better than the competitors’ in order to leverage that element as a selling point.  
Most importantly:

• 47% of consumers can be swayed on the price factor

• 20% of consumers are willing to switch brands if they perceive the quality of the competitor’s product to be better than their existing choice’s quality

by Bernard Martin

Onserts  are a unique opportunity for publishers to provide the next level of advertisement to their premium brand advertisers who truly want to distinguish themselves from the competition.  Onserts are not like inserts!

First, let's compare the types of inserts to onserts:

How many inserts could be inside a given publication?  As an advertiser, you may never know. The consumer opens the poly bag and out falls three inserts.  There's even more glued inside and, what's that smell?  It seems like there are different scents inside the magazine. 

What make's an onsert different?

There can be only one Onsert attached to the magazine!  Yes, there are different types of onserts, but there is ONLY ONE onsert per magazine!

by Bernard Martin

Your onsert should contain a recycling statement and it's not just because you are being a good citizen of the World.  Although being a good citizen is a great reason in and of itself, there are those managers who don't want to give up the precious advert space for a recycling message. 

Here's your opportunity to be creative!

Recycling to Encourage Pass Along
Think about the following two recycling  messages:

• “Save the Planet. Make a friend forever in your debt! Pass me on to someone else you think would be interested in [my information] before tossing me away.  My message can be passed along to others who will be  forever in your debt for giving me to them!" vs.
• “Please recycle me when you have finished with me”

Ok. so maybe it's too many words and takes to much space, but your creative team, or your clients, can certainly come up with some innovative ways to encourage pass along of something as unique as an onsert!

by Bernard Martin

​SampleMax has undertaken extensive research to assist our licensees in the use of onsert cards for their marketing purposes. One of the questions we have been asked a lot is " Does it cost more the mail?"  We worked with Leanne Herman from RR Donnelley and several folks at the United States Postal Service to get the answers. Here's the important part:

The sample we sent over for review sample consisted of a Periodicals publication poly-bagged with a plain white cardstock onsert product sample carrier:

• The onsert carrier was 10.5" by 9.25".
  
• The edge of the carrier along the publications’ spine was configured to form two box-like shapes and a recessed well.   
• The box-like shapes are separated vertically by the recessed well . 
• The recessed well is 4.75" long by 0.9375" high. 
• The box-like section to the left of the recessed well is 1.75" long by 0.9375" high
• The box-like section to the right of the recessed well is 4.875" long and 0.9375" high.  
• A sample foil packet containing 0.14 ounces (3.9 grams) of Lipton Teawas positioned within the recessed well. 
• A strip of poly is placed over the opening of the recessed well, covering the sample packet.

Below is the excerpt from the United States Postal Service standards:

DMM Revision: Periodicals — Endorsements, Supplements to Bound and Unbound PublicationsIn response to customer needs, effective May 31, 2012, the Postal Service™ will revise Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM®) 707.3.3.5 to modify the marking standards for supplements to bound publications. Supplements pre­pared with bound publications that are enclosed in a com­plete wrapper, polybag, or envelope may be mailed without the endorsement “Supplement to…” followed either by the title of the publication, the name of the publisher, or by “Periodicals Publication.” This change will unify bound and unbound supplement endorsement requirements and sim­plify preparation of preprinted advertising in bound publi­cations. 
Mailing Standards of the United States Postal Service, Domestic Mail Manual (DMM)
* * * * * 
700 Special Standards
* * * * * 
707 Periodicals
* * * * * 
3.0 Physical Characteristics and Content Eligibility
* * * * *
3.3 Permissible Mailpiece Components 
* * * * * 
3.3.5 Supplement 
[Revise the introductory text of 3.3.5 as follows:] 
A supplement is one or more pages (subject to 3.3.1) formed by one or more printed sheets that are not bound into a publication. A supplement may be devoted to a sin­gle topic and may contain material different from that in the host publication. A supplement may not be mailed at Peri­odicals prices by itself. The length and height of a supple­ment may not exceed those of the host publication except when the host publication and the supplement are con­tained in an envelope, polybag, or other complete wrapper or under 3.3d. Supplements are subject to these conditions as applicable: 
[Delete current items a and b in their entirety, and add new items a through d as follows:]
a. If a supplement to a bound publication is formed of more than one sheet, all sheets making up the sup­plement must be bound together.
b. A bound publication mailed with one or more supple­ments must be enclosed in a wrapper. 
c. A supplement to an unbound publication that is not prepared in a wrapper, polybag, or envelope must be combined with and inserted within the publication under 3.5.4.
d. A wrapper is not required when a loose addressed supplement is included within the same mailing as the host publication, bears a proper delivery address, contains at least 25% nonadvertising material, and includes on the front/cover page the endorsement “Periodicals Supplement to” followed by the exact ti­tle and issue date of the host publication. The exter­nal dimensions of such supplements may exceed those of the host publication provided they are of the same processing category as the host publication.

Samples are an efficient means to make consumers test new beauty products and influence their purchase decisions; all product categories are concerned, including makeup. In a recent study, The NPD Group found that one in five makeup users have received a makeup sample in the past year. Even the relatively new sample subscription programs are proving efficient.

Making consumers pay for samples may pays off long-term for manufacturers and retailers. Actually, among women who subscribe to makeup sample subscription programs, 83 per cent were influenced to buy the full-sized product, according to the 2014 Makeup In-Depth Consumer Report, The NPD Group from The NPD Group.
​
“The idea of offering samples has been around for some time, but sample subscription programs are a fresh way for manufacturers and retailers to engage with interested consumers and monetize their sample programs, while consumers discover brands or products they may not have been aware of previously,” said Karen Grant, Vice President and Global Beauty Industry Analyst, The NPD Group. “Women strive to find a makeup product that works for them, and when they do, that is the primary reason they become loyal to it.”

Most women like to self-test products without pressure, and samples give them that ability. Take home samples are the second most popular makeup shopping preference, over things like salesperson explanation and personal consultation, but retailers are finding new ways to incorporate samples into the shopping, and even purchasing, experience. According to the market research firm, one in five makeup users have received a makeup sample in the past year, primarily from retailers (17%).

“Sample subscriptions are still relatively small in their reach, but their potential impact on the makeup industry is significant. Incorporating this method of product discovery into a marketing and sales strategy can uncover new consumers and expand on target audiences,” added Grant.

Source:  2014 Makeup In-Depth Consumer Report, The NPD Group
​

original article can be found at Premium Beauty New

"The best way to sell somebody your product is to put it in their hands".
That been the adage of people selling products since the guy who invented the wheel and axle attached it to the dark behind basket.  That being said, an advertiser or publisher still needs to know how statistically effective is it to provide a product sample to consumers. 

From January 18 to February 15, 2008, Arbitron and Edison Media Research conducted a national telephone survey. 1,857 respondents, ages 12 and older, were selected at random from Arbitron’s 2007 fall diarykeepers. In geographic areas where Arbitron diarykeepers were not available (representing 8% of the population), a supplemental sample was interviewed through random selection.  

The final report was titled: "Product Sampling Study" and it found product sampling reaches 70 million consumers every quarter, and one-third of customers who try a sample will buy the sampled product. Samples play a very significant factor in brand loyalty and awareness. More than 58% of those surveyed reported that they would buy the product again.

The study also found:

• 28% reported that they have been offered product samples within the past three months.
• 64% claimed that they had accepted product samples: 66% of Acquisitions accepted samples, as did 63% of Conversions and 63% of Retentions.
• 35% claimed they purchased the sampled product on the same day: 26% of Acquisitions bought the product right away, as did 19% of Conversions and 31% of Retentions.
• 24% of those surveyed claimed that a sampled product had specifically replaced an item that they had planned to buy: 20% of Acquisitions were planning to make the switch, as were 33% of Conversions and 18% of Retentions.

Below you can find the original report