Product trials

Product trials let customers try a product before they buy it. Businesses use samples (small free amounts), demonstrations (showing the product in use) and testers (products set out in store that customers can handle or try).

Trials work because they reduce customer risk: if you are unsure whether a product suits you, trying it first makes a bad purchase less likely. Lower risk can encourage a first purchase. A trial also gives the business feedback before and after launch, and customers who like the product may tell others, creating word-of-mouth promotion.

Example: a garden centre launches a new hedge trimmer. On a Saturday, staff run a demonstration and let shoppers hold the trimmer and cut a branch. Some shoppers who were worried about the weight buy one. Comments about the handle help the garden centre improve its next batch, and buyers mention it to neighbours.

Trials can be costly: free samples use up stock, demonstrations need staff time and space, and testers can be damaged or stolen. They may not suit every product, either. A product that is used up in one go, such as a firework, cannot really be tried first, and a very expensive item cannot be given away free, so a demonstration may be the only option.

Businesses use trials for new products, to build confidence at launch, or to tempt customers away from a rival. A soft drinks brand might hand out free cups at a festival to win customers from the brand they usually buy.