Jack Black Core 4 Sampler Kit contains four products, all packaged in Xela Pack samples.

Try It, You’ll Like It

Samples and unit-dose packaging help sell new products and sustain established brands.

Written by Lisa Samalonis, Associate Editor

When Dr. Brandt’s skin care decided to sample its deoxygen experience facial and detoxifying crème, the company looked for a cutting edge way to attract consumers. “We wanted a sample with artwork that emulated the look of the package at the store level,” explains Melinda Wells-DeRocher, president and CEO of Dr. Brandt.

The product launched in a dual chamber package in which the top chamber holds a foam facial mask, and the lower chamber screws into the bottom of the bottle and encases a cream. Identipak created the sample so it looks exactly like the double-chamber packaging, she explains.

“This type of design allows the consumer to try the product as it is intended in the retail application and reinforces the finished product image of the retail package, making it easier to locate on the shelf for purchase,” explains Margery Woodin, vice president of marketing and sales, Identipak.

Interest on the Rise

The Freedonia Group, a publisher of industry market research, indicates sampling of cosmetic and personal care products is increasing. The firm forecasts growth in the sampling market due to the proliferation of fragrance samplers. Plastic sample vials are widely used in the fragrance market to introduce new products and encourage trials of existing product lines. Steady growth and good opportunities are also forecasted for unit-dose packaging, such as tubes, which offer accurate dosing and serve as sample or promotional packaging for cosmetics and toiletries. In addition, compliance with airline security regulations for carry-on liquid and gel toiletries will boost gains for trial size squeeze tubes and other packaging.

Today, the sampler is frequently the consumer’s access point to the brand essence, says Emmanuelle Hermandesse, Rexam, product manager, mini-products, Rexam Personal Care Division. She notes that current trends in small sizes include retail consolidation, the travel retail market (see sidebar below), and “nomadism,” a trend in which people carry their favorite products with them throughout the day.

“Retail consolidation reduces the number of retail ‘touches,’ which intensifies the need for beauty companies to ‘stay in touch’ with consumers regularly. An aggressive mini-products program increases the connection with consumers,” she explains.

Today’s savvy nomad consumers like to keep their favorite personal care products close and carry them in the car, to the office, and when they go out in the evening. “On-the-go consumers appreciate easily carried mini-products that replicate the gesture of the full-sized retail products,” explains Hermandesse. “Importantly, mini-products permit access to luxury brands, with affordable sizes of the retail product. This is a key consideration in emerging markets and in uncertain economic times.”

Outsourcing is another trend that has been steadily on the rise over the past year.“Customers are increasingly looking for more controlled facilities with Quality Management Systems in place to produce their products.They simply can’t afford to have any issues, it needs to be right the first time, as well as delivered on time,” says John Vandercliff, president at JP Packaging. “With the current state of the economy, sampling is by far the most cost-effective delivery for companies to reach their customers and increase sales by gaining market share.Consumers love free samples today more than ever before.”

More Trends

“Some of the biggest recent trends we are seeing in our requests for sample packaging are environmental consciousness, multi-dose capability, larger sizes, sample kits, coupon packs and a greater need for increased information with the samples,” says Anthony Gentile, director of art and marketing, of Xela Pack.

“The entire packaging industry is experiencing this trend toward ‘green’ packaging. Product companies of all kinds are finding out that their customers appreciate buying products that are not overpackaged with excessive materials simply for the sake of aesthetics or shelf-presence,” he says, adding that Xela Pack has produced environmentally conscious sample packaging, with an emphasis on material reduction, for nearly 25 years.

Have Sample, Will Travel Airline travel restrictions have revolutionized the way travelers carry their personal care and beauty products. Frequent travelers often do not like to check baggage and desire an easy way to bring their favorite products on board in the regulation 3-oz. size. “In fragrance, air travel regulations and harder economic times have pushed the market toward gift sets. Slim, trendy and easily carried (under 10ml), not to mention more affordable, these kits present an added bonus: they encourage fidelity to the brand,” says Sylvie Darensbourg, regional market development manager of Aptar. Brands, like the luxury French skincare line Biologique Recherche, are launching travel kits. The new Biologique Recherche set includes travel-friendly sizes of five skin care products nestled in a chic carrying case. Innovative NYC-based 3Floz.com has also made it easier for travelers. The company stocks travel size versions of over 50 top brands (all TSA-approved) so jetsetters can look and feel their best no matter where they are in the world.

The need for multi-dose capability and larger sizes is likely a direct result of the economy and the green trend combined. “Many product companies are finding that although they are able to produce cheap single-dose samples of their products, it often ends up costing more to supply several of these single-use samples rather than one larger multi-dose sample,” Gentile explains.Xela Pack samples have a self-closing orifice and are ideal for multi-dose sampling applications.

Oratech, which specializes in packaging solutions for cosmetics and skin care companies, has also seen indications that unit-dose sampling is increasing. “From small companies looking for a product launch solution to large companies looking for cost-effective, turnkey packaging solutions, sample packaging is a smart choice for product marketing in a tough economic climate. In addition, unit dose is an especially appealing means of product delivery in a market focused on consumer ease-of-use.It eliminates the guesswork for the consumer and improves the accuracy of the consumer’s product experience because the recommended amount of product is dispensed for each application,” says Carrie Brown, marketing manager, at Oratech.

Sampling Boosts Sales

“We have been seeing a rise in deluxe sampling that offers either multiple use or several products,” says Dominick Montano, of Aphena Health and Beauty. “With constant new product launches, the sampling marketing tool is a must to help sell the consumer. With the many available sampling distribution venues, the consumer is given the opportunity to try the color, feel the texture, and experience the fragrance personally to make the decision to buy.”

Going the extra mile in the look and feel makes the difference. For example, to promote the launch of the fragrance, Miss Madison, Brooks Brothers decided to upscale its sampling by adding a ruby jewel for the fragrance spray sampler from Aphena. Similarly, Avon Columbia supported the launch of its new lipgloss line with a single dose sampler surrounded by high impact graphics and supportive product information.

Reaching Customers Via the Mail Direct mail is an effective way to get samples in a customer’s hand. Beauty companies can easily send their samples in a package that meets all postal regulations for sachet mailing using the new (Patent Pending 13/109,536) USPS Certified Safe Mailer, offered by JP Packaging. “The Safe Mailer is the only certified delivery system that mails at automated letter rate (up to 40% postage savings) and has large billboard space –with outside and inside printing opportunities,” explains John Vandercliff, president of the company. “It also has a secure sample section and can be made of sustainable packaging board.” For national brands, catalog distribution is another effective way to reach customers. Samples are delivered via a customer’s pre-paid package (usually FedEx), says Margery Woodin, vice president of marketing and sales, Identipak. “This mass quantity sampling utilizes the extensive network of an online retailer, like Bluefly.com, Brooks Brothers, or Land’s End among others, to deliver the sample directly to the customer’s home with the package that they just ordered online.The placement cost for this type of program is extremely reasonable,” she says.

With the recession, as customers became very cautious with their spending, major brands started to reach out with samples to keep consumers and attract new ones. “Carrying a sample will give consumers ample time to make the final decision on the product. Along with the product itself, aesthetics, feel, functionality and convenience play an essential role in making this final decision, says Sylvie Darensbourg, regional market development manager of Aptar Gift + Promotion. She notes recent studies demonstrated that campaigns launched using Aptar’s Imagin sampler, an extra flat spray sampler that can be inserted into a magazine or mass mailing, resulted in a considerable increase in the sale of the retail product.

The mass, masstige and prestige markets are all increasing sampling. “With more than 800 new fragrances launched last year, mini-product interest among customers is strong. And for good reason—90% of consumers say sampler usage is essential to fragrance purchase and 92% really use the samplers they receive,” says Hermandesse.

For example, in the prestige market, the Davidoff Cool Water Wave program has found success using Rexam’s Sof’Twist. A 2ml glass vial is topped with a mini-fragrance pump and inserted into a refillable, metallized case. The consumer twists the bottom of the case and the vial rises, just as a lipstick bullet elevates. Both Narciso Rodriguez’s Essence line and Lolita Lempicka’s Si Lolita fragrance used Rexam’s multi-SKU line.

Integrity and Convenience

Anna Maria DeVincentis, of LF of America Corp., notes that the unit-dose packager is noticing more interest from beauty customers because its 10ml packages are ideal for natural products without preservatives. “Single use packaging can be used for more natural products because the product is only exposed to the air one time and it is finished,” she says, noting some customers put strips of five in monthly kits or do a sampling.

DeVincentis says that the company, which has served many pharmaceutical clients, is getting increased interest for clinical-looking packaging. “Overall, we have seen that the trend is going more toward a medical look,” she says.

For the launch of its Neova line of sunscreen products compliant with the new FDA sunscreen regulations, PhotoMedex turned to LF of America. “For the sunscreen product the company has chosen to use our strip of five white unit-dose packages. However, they asked us to separate them out because they wanted a more medical look. We split it out and put each sample in syringe packs with a leaflet inside with all the information. They will be distributed to all dermatologists,” she says.

The kits help sell the product line because consumers get to see the whole sample kit at once. “They do not have all these little tubes or packets hanging around, everything is together. Usually there is also an information pamphlet that lists all the ingredients and how to use the product. This is new to the U.S. It has been popular in Europe though, with our parent company, Lameplast, SpA,” she says.

Xela Pack’s Gentile has also seen an increased interest in sample kits over the last few years. “It seems like our customers are asking for kits more often now than ever before,” he says. Companies are finding more value in promoting entire product lines or their brand as a whole rather than just promoting their newest product or products. In other cases, multiple products are promoted at events. “We recently did a kit for Jack Black products that was distributed at racing events that included three products for the racers: a sunscreen, a lip balm with SPF and a relief balm to be used on sore muscles and joints before and after the race,” says Gentile.

Sampling Smarts

Because sampling frequently falls under marketing, companies have some leeway where cost is concerned, explains DeVincentis. “Sampling is often put in the advertising/marketing budget and it is not going in their manufacturing budget so they can spend a little more on packaging.”

Claudia Epure, brand manager, Rusk, distributor of professional salon hair care products concurs that sampling is a key marketing technique.“Driving trial of a new product is critical to the success of a launch. We believe that ‘trying’ leads to ‘buying.’ It is critical to get new products into the hands of our professional network prior to it being available for sale, so they have used it and are more easily able to recommend it to their clients having had their own experience with the product.” Rusk typically samples its formulas in foil single or duo sachets from Identipak.

Sample size, order quantity and frequency/forecast, product formulation or blending needs, stability testing requirements, packaging, labeling requirements, and shelf-life are key considerations when companies are determining how to best sample their product. Cost, delivery systems, on-time delivery, and quality/regulatory systems are additional factors.

Hermandesse emphasizes that selecting a supplier with global technical and sales support and a wide choice of samplers and design capabilities is paramount.

Most companies understand they need to sample, but they might not know how to get started. Often customers are not sure of volumes, modes of distribution, or segmenting a group and this makes budgeting near impossible.“I often recommend starting with a web-based program,” says Woodin. “For example, announcing “Free Samples” on the company’s website creates traffic and allows the company to build a good CRM program to enhance product offerings.”

Not Just for the New

Sampling programs also can be a powerful tool to boost existing fragrance products. In 2010 and 2011, Aptar helped Clarins U.S. run a program for David Yurman using Easy Spray (three mini sprays with clip on a card) for promotional purposes, and Replica Stilo as a gift set. Both programs were well received and sampling continues to play a major role in the product’s success, says Darensbourg.

JP Packaging’s Vandercliff agrees that marketers must stay in contact with their customer base.“If not, they run the risk of having customers stray to another brand. Sample packets are very well accepted by today’s consumers so it is only natural to go back to what works,” he says.

Packets also use the least amount of packaging material by weight, than other delivery systems, so that makes them earth friendly from a materials consumption standpoint. “Using less material translates into continued savings (i.e., less inbound and outbound freight) throughout the life cycle of the sample/unit dose,” Vandercliff says, noting that customers can select from a variety of sampling tools, such as coupons, info panels, custom die cut shapes, powerful graphics, and direct mail delivery systems to keep their consumers engaged with their brand.

Today, beauty companies can partner with suppliers, retailers, and distributors to make sure high-quality samples reach consumers so they can try and then buy them. This partnership helps ensure the effective promotion and continued success of their brands.