There would not be a single person who doesn’t get excited about the word ‘free’. One may be wealthy, but the happiness to get something without spending a dime for it, is always unmatched. In a country where we expect ‘dhaniya and mirchi’ free every time we purchase vegetables, how can brands not offer freebies? But have you ever wondered, why do companies and brands give away certain products for free? Here are some of the key factors that help the brand if they offer free stuff
From a business perspective, giving away something for free often supplies value on the back end. Sure, the upfront costs can be substantial, but the investment can easily pay off in some monetary form a little later down the road.
Helps to create buzz
Oh yes, the word Free draws immediate attention from even those who aren’t interested in the product, let alone the potential customers. Giving away some freebies often serve as a great boost in brand recall. When Black Friday rolls around each year, many retailers use this same logic to get people into their stores.
Positions you as a generous brand
Giving away free samples often shows the generosity of a brand and sometimes when the samples are given without expecting anything in return, they really help the brand get a good position. For example, P&G sends samples of its few products right at your doorstep and doesn’t even expect feedback. They just trust the customer to use their products and judge it for themselves.
Gets feedback and helps in trials
Sometimes, free sampling is directed towards customers in order to collect feedback. For example, Starbucks offers free coffee samples whenever they are doing trials for introducing new flavors and in return, they ask for your simple feedback on whether you liked the coffee or not. They don’t give any tedious forms to fill, but just a word about the coffee and they are all ears.
Tempts existing customers
The existing customer base is always the strength for any business and offering them free samples of either new line of products or related products could really go a long way in retaining them. We often see that upon reaching a particular threshold, beauty product companies offer freebies. This tempts the customer to do that minimum purchase and also ensure steady sales for the brand.
