The Value of In-Store Demos

As an editor at GHQ, I often talk to companies about how retailers can boost sales of their products. In these conversations, company officials often tell me that in-store demos are one of the best ways for retailers to help get products noticed.

One retailer that I have noticed really taking advantage of this strategy is Whole Foods. There is a Whole Foods a few blocks away from my office and I often walk around there on my lunch break just asking to be lured into an impulse buy. Part of the draw of spending my break at Whole Foods is that I know I will get a chance to try all kinds of products that I would never think of putting in my shopping cart.

The scheme has definitely worked on me; I often walk out of the store with a jar of better-for-you pasta sauce or a probiotic beverage that I tried while I was scanning the aisles for other things that I need. I’m not the only one either, there are sometimes up to five people waiting on line to score a free sample...and I also notice these products in plenty of people’s carts as I shop.

Many companies I talk to are more than happy to work with retailers to organize in-store demos. These demos are a win-win for both the brand and the retailer; the company can give more visibility to its brands and the retailer gets a boost in sales of whatever product is being highlighted and some especially engaged shoppers.