Chanil Boo
In-store product sampling has been widely used as a promotional technique that provides prospective consumers with a free trial of a product prior to purchase. This paper investigates the impact of in-store sample promotions on consumer purchasing behavior. In addition, this study explores the impact of demographics characteristics (gender, age, and household income) using data from retail grocery stores in Korea. The results show that in-store free sampling has a significant sales impact on both focal and competing brands. Furthermore, the finding from the experiments demonstrate that the returns to the sampling vary widely depending on customers’ demographics. Implications for marketing managers are discussed and suggestions for future research are offered.