It takes a bold business to commit to a free sample or free trial marketing plan these days. With the internet becoming a primary source of customer connection and sales, it’s becoming much easier – in theory – for people to come along, tap into a free sample or trial run, and then leave.
However, the free trial conversion rate suggests that the appeal and pulling power of a free sampling campaign remains very high. Importantly, there are many different ways to go about this – it’s not simply a case of giving out mini jam jars to whoever comes by anymore. It’s much more about getting the approach right to maximize conversions.
Many Businesses Deploy the Free Samples Strategy
Free samples have become rather useful in many different industries to spread brand awareness and bolster sales for new products. Many will run their own campaigns in-house, but others turn to sampling specialists. Companies like Dig In offer a path for businesses to reach large sampling audiences through their tailored delivery system.
Santander, L’Oreal, Rockstar, Domino’s Pizza, and several others have tapped into the service to ensure that their sample products and attached information leaflets make it to large and willing audiences. Not all businesses can send out free items, though. So, tailoring a service to offer users a way to experience it for free is the approach.
Online-based entertainment services show a few ways of doing this. When you see the latest bingo offers on Paddy Power, for example, the one that stands out is the six hours of daily free bingo. Those who make an account can opt in to play in the free bingo rooms between midday and 6 pm. It’s a kind of persistent free trial offer.
Most free trials, of course, are limited in how long they’ll last. In the rather competitive and arguably overstuffed online streaming sector, smaller players are leveraging free trials to increase appeal and accessibility. You can get a fortnight of free streaming with BFI Player, which specializes in highly acclaimed films from around the world.
Is the Free Sample Approach Working?
Findings suggest that, most of the time, free samples or free trials are the most effective form of marketing for converting customers. Even in a maturing online streaming space, the free trial conversion rate. Short-term passes have come into the equation, which Business Wire relays has a 13 percent conversion rate.
However, the free trial conversion rate managed to convert 34 percent of users into subscribers. These figures are put within the context that customers are increasingly cycling through streaming platforms, cancelling a subscription with one because another offers more of what they want for the coming months.
Beyond streaming, in a broader take on e-commerce, it was found in 2023 that the 30-day free trial is the most effective. A three-day Free trial conversion rate barely registers interest, but when it does, it converts over one-third of users into customers. The ten-times longer trial attracts slightly fewer people, but has a conversion rate of over 50 percent.
It’s a similar rate of return seen in traditional Free trial conversion rate sampling approaches in land-based stores. Stats appear to average out at around 60 percent for users to become paying customers if the sample delivers an excellent experience. Without the human connection of a land-based sampling, when online, more value needs to be shown.
How long a trial should last, or the size of a free sample, will vary greatly from business to business. The key is to give them the full experience. A segmented offering where the full experience can be unlocked later doesn’t tend to stick well. Delivering a risk-free, full showcase of what the customer could have fully advertised the product.
Ultimately, customers choose a free trial or sample offer because they need the product or service and want to know more before committing to a purchase. The free offer, then, does need to be limited, but with a softer touch. They get to try before they buy, informing their decision, and nudging them towards the over 70 percent who become consumers after trying the free sample.
Conversion Rates in Other Marketing Campaigns
Compared to many other common marketing campaigns, free trials and free samples offer a clear markup in customer conversions. Marketing reports show that advertising on Facebook still has pulling power, with some 70 percent of those asked saying that a positive return on investment is seen when placing ads on the social platform.
While using targeted campaigns on the massive site isn’t overly expensive, the engagement rate remains rather low. On average, Facebook engagement rates for ads are below 0.2 percent. Across such a huge audience, this will lead to a lot of exposure, but that incredibly low engagement rate should be noted.
A more traditional digital marketing approach seemingly achieves a higher engagement rate. Email marketing campaigns register a roughly 1.4 percent click-through rate, on average. Different sectors can reach higher percentages of over 2.5 percent, but the average overall is about one percent lower.
Marketing technology is improving, allowing for a more personalized campaign for individual potential customers, but it’s impossible to deny the inherent power of free samples and trials. They may seem costly, but when thoughtfully deployed, the marketing approach can be, by far, the most successful for customer conversions.
