Everybody loves free food. And luckily—whether at markets, event booths, or on-farm—offering free food is one of the easiest ways to increase your sales.
At the Farm on Central, we consistently see a 30% increase in sales when we offer samples 🤯
Why do samples work so well?
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Guarantee Taste: Letting customers taste your products gives them confidence to buy. Once they know how good your products are, they’ll be happy to put money down.
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Encourage Impulse Buys: A delicious sample can turn a curious passerby into a paying customer, sparking impulse purchases.
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Showcase New Products: If you have a product that’s a little different or new, samples are a great way to introduce it and show people what makes it special.
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Create a Memorable Experience: Samples make your booth or store stand out, offering a sensory experience that customers will remember.
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Boost Word-of-Mouth: Satisfied customers are likely to share their experience with others, bringing more business your way.
So…how do you turn samples into sales?
Keep on reading for our top tips!
Create Eye-Catching Displays
Make your samples easy to spot! Whether setting up at markets, an event booth, or your own farm, your samples should immediately draw attention. Use props like cutting boards, towels, any other branded merch, flower arrangements, or shelving. Get creative!
The product should never be far from the sample. You want to arrange the products around the sample as part of the display, making it easy for the customer to grab the product they want after sampling it.
Write Clear Signs
Clear, attractive signage is key. People are more likely to try your samples if they know what they’re tasting. Use simple, legible signs that tell customers exactly what the sample is, how it was made, and why it’s special. If you have a story behind your product, this is the perfect place to share it.
For produce with many varieties, share relevant information. For example, for the pepper samples in the image below, we made sure to label them as sweet peppers (not spicy) so customers would know what to expect.
Offer Pairing Suggestions
Take it a step further by suggesting ways to enjoy your products. If you’re offering cheese, suggest pairing it with a specific fruit or cracker. If you’re offering honey, recommend drizzling it over sourdough or adding it to tea. Offering salad dressing? Make sure your fresh salad mix is nearby. Cucumbers? Have a simple vinegar cucumber recipe they can take home.
This not only helps customers imagine how they’ll use your product, but also encourages them to purchase complementary items.
Keep Samples Fresh
Nothing turns off a potential customer more than a sample that looks like it’s been sitting out all day. If that happens, you’ll lose sales instead of making more!
Keep an eye on your samples, and have a general idea of when you need to swap them out for a fresh batch. If applicable, offer disposable cups or plates, napkins, hand sanitizer, or whatever else your customers may need in order to try your products!
Next week, try doing the following:
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Pick two products to offer as samples.
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Create signs and displays for each.
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Showcase with pairings or recipe cards.
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Then talk to your customers and get their feedback!
Remember, presentation is key. The display, signage, pairings, freshness…all of those qualities can be summed up under presentation.
Use good presentation to attract people to your samples, which then convince more people to buy your products.
