Capturing consumer insights: FMCG product sampling and event marketing

Using consumer insights to achieve the greatest ROI for sampling programs and event marketing initiatives 

Editor’s note: Ken Roshkoff is president of AMC Global. 

When launching new products, it can be difficult to stand out from the crowd in the highly competitive and evolving fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. To capture attention, brands must innovate the right way – by keeping up with what their consumers want and meeting them where they are. And meeting those consumers at sampling events can be an effective way to capture attention, but these campaigns are costly. How can you ensure you get the most bang for your buck?

Using sampling events to stand out

The FMCG space uses product sampling and event marketing to promote products, build awareness, prompt consumer trials and stand out from the crowd. These types of events can also shine an in-person light on consumer behavior with the unique opportunity to interact directly with target consumers. While these promotional efforts can be highly effective, they can also be costly, especially if they do not reach the right audience and fail to convert consumers into first-time purchasers. Companies often spend a significant amount of money and time giving out product samples and hosting events without knowing the true ROI for the effort, or how to prepare the programs for best results. 

Why consumer insights are vital to sampling program success

Gathering insights and analyzing consumer behaviors and preferences in specific contexts offers a crucial piece of overall product and brand success. When brands put a program in place to gather consumer insights at sampling events, the insights show which event marketing programs are working the hardest and can give a path forward to make the best investments in these activities, resulting in a boost to the bottom line of these efforts.

FMCG brands can discover the impact and ROI of sampling initiatives and event marketing, cost-effectively and efficiently, using the right research methods. Gathering insights at your events can help you not only evaluate program effectiveness, but you can also assess other pertinent factors like figuring out purchase conversion rates, calculating the cost per new customer acquired through sampling, capturing recipient demographics, gauging brand impact and measuring effectiveness of each sampling tactic and venue you may use. With these insights, companies can optimize future spending on sampling and event marketing endeavors. 

Also, integrating consumer feedback from sampling with other data sources like sales analytics and market trends can help FMCG companies create a comprehensive view of the overall space. It’s important to remember that consumer insights should inform not only the immediate adjustments to marketing strategies and products, but also to long-term brand strategy. In other words, your sampling event can have deep reach and deep impact when done correctly.

Insights into consumer reactions and behaviors 

The landscape of the various venues (and promotional tactics employed) can vary greatly from program to program. Experienced marketing researchers can formulate programs in a way that will get you the greatest return on your significant sampling and/or event marketing program investments.

Advancements in technology have greatly enhanced the ability to capture and analyze consumer data. Tools such as mobile surveys, social media analytics and real-time feedback applications can provide immediate insights into consumer reactions and behaviors at your planned sampling events. These technologies make it easier for brands to collect data efficiently and accurately at sampling events, leading to quicker decision-making and strategy adjustments to maximize return. 

Working with a third-party consumer insights provider that has no ties to the promotional agencies that are running the programs can be helpful. This is a specialized field, and consumer insights professionals with expertise in designing a product sampling and/or event marketing research program will help you determine how to prioritize your spending in order to get the greatest value out of these efforts.

Pulling ahead of the competition with sampling programs

Capturing consumer insights in the context of FMCG product sampling and event marketing is more than a tactical exercise – it's a strategic imperative. These events are expensive, and gathering consumer insights to make these initiatives work hard for your brand can impact both event strategy and business profitability. Effective data capture and analysis is essential for any brand looking to thrive in the dynamic FMCG spaces through sampling and event marketing.

Evaluating a product sampling or event marketing program the right way not only will boost the ROI of these often spendy endeavors, but in turn can have a big impact on the overall success of your product. The consumer research programs put in place at sampling or event marketing programs can help you determine which of the myriad promotional venues and tactics available to your brand have the greatest ROI – and should be used going forward for greatest impact.