We were a bit skeptical at first thinking the community might be people trolling for free samples. But that hasn’t been our experience. The Social Nature community is made of people who genuinely want to try new products. Digital product sampling has helped us drive trial at retail and then some.
The 43% incrementality is an important number to highlight with retail buyers since it shows Aura Bora is bringing the retailer net new consumers and results in incremental retail sales.
Digital product sampling provides us with an exciting way to learn more about our consumers and their purchasing habits. Compared to in-store demos, the three-month post-trial survey allows us to measure ROI and ensure we’re being efficient with our spending. When we mention that we’re running Social Nature programs to retailers, we definitely see their eyes widen when we tell them we’ll be sending thousands of consumers into their stores to pick up our products from their shelves.
Most shoppers picked up their free sample of Aura Bora sparkling water at Fresh Thyme, Sprouts, and Harris Teeter. The access to reviews and insights from shoppers from different retailers and regions helps Aura Bora better understand the regional differences between their consumers, such as their preferred flavors.
Some Social Nature community members have gone out of their way to have conversations or share feedback we didn’t expect, like talking to store managers to ask them to stock our flavors that weren’t available.
Retail buyers aren’t very risky. But you can derisk their investment and give them confidence in your brand by having a plan to support your product launch at their store.
One thing that Social Nature does well and captures the buyer’s attention is this: telling them that you’ll send 1000 of their customers to their store to buy your product. This is incremental dollars in the retailer’s pocket. Buyers feel confident knowing that you have a proactive plan to drive trial and the products won’t just sit on the shelf.
60% of a store’s fastest turning items are usually not emerging brands. Often in retail buyer meetings, they might ask, “How would you compete against [insert conglomerate brand in your category]?”
Thanks to Social Nature, Aura Bora had the competitor and consumer insights they needed to respond to the buyer. Having this type of data ready at buyer meetings can give you an edge to secure your renewal or additional listings.
