Beauty Sampling Programs

Beauty is a trial-driven category. People buy what they’ve tried on their own skin, which makes getting a sample into the right hands one of the most effective ways to convert a stranger into a customer. Sampling programs are how you do that at scale, and they range from a mini tucked into a retailer’s bag to a sachet in a subscription box to a full-size sent to a creator.

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The channels

Retailer sampling and gift-with-purchase. Sephora and Ulta run sampling and gift-with-purchase programs, and getting your mini into those baskets puts your product in front of high-intent shoppers already buying beauty. See getting into Sephora.

Subscription boxes. Ipsy, Birchbox, and Allure Beauty Box deliver your sample to subscribers who signed up specifically to try new products. You typically supply the product at cost, sometimes pay to be featured, and the volumes required can be large, so it’s reach in exchange for product and fees.

Sampling platforms and your own site. Dedicated sampling platforms target trial to the right profiles, and on your own store a free sample with an order or a sample-to-full-size credit turns browsers into triers.

Influencer and PR seeding. Sending product to creators generates content, reviews, and word of mouth, which is its own form of sampling. See influencer marketing.

What it costs, and how to make it pay

Sampling isn’t free. You have to produce sample sizes, minis and sachets that your filler makes in small formats, and you often pay program or placement fees, so a full sampling push can run anywhere from a few thousand dollars to $25,000 to $100,000 for a large program. The payoff is trial, conversion, reviews, and user-generated content, but only if you measure conversion rather than reach. Whenever you can, capture the recipient’s email so you can follow up and convert them, which is why sampling and your email list work best together. A sample that leads nowhere is a cost; a sample that starts a relationship is acquisition.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do beauty brands get people to try their products?

Through sampling: retailer gift-with-purchase and sampling programs at stores like Sephora and Ulta, subscription boxes like Ipsy and Birchbox, sampling platforms and free samples on their own site, and influencer seeding. Because beauty is trial-driven, putting a sample in the right hands is one of the most reliable ways to convert a first-time buyer.

How much do beauty sampling programs cost?

It varies widely. You pay to produce the sample sizes themselves, and many programs charge placement or feature fees on top, so a serious sampling effort can range from a few thousand dollars to $25,000 to $100,000 for a large program. Judge it on conversion, reviews, and content generated, not just how many samples went out.

Are subscription boxes worth it for a beauty brand?

They can be, for awareness, trial, and reviews, since they reach subscribers who love testing new products. The tradeoff is that you usually supply product at cost, sometimes pay to be featured, and the required volumes can be large. They pay off best when you capture subscriber interest and convert triers into repeat customers rather than treating the placement as the end goal.

Sources

• Beauty Independent, “How to Effectively Sample Beauty Merchandise”. Sampling program costs of roughly $25,000 to $100,000 and the volumes subscription boxes require.