What’s The Real Conversion Moment?

When does a prospect convert into a customer? What’s the exact moment in the retail journey when that happens? For most people, the answer is ‘at the checkout’, since that’s the moment when the product leaves the shelf and money changes hands. And that’s a safe bet – but it isn’t right. By the time a customer has got to the checkout, the decision has already been made. Something had already made them choose to put the product in their basket, and given them the confidence to walk around the shop without reconsidering and putting it back. So the big question for brands shouldn’t be when the conversion happens, but what creates the confidence to buy?

Is Visibility All There Is Too It?

One of the areas retailers invest most heavily in is getting their products noticed. The more eyes you can get on the products, the more footfall in the door and the higher your conversion is going to be. Which means a lot of spend going on eye-catching packaging, promotional pricing, feature displays and retail media. All of which absolutely has an impact, but it’s often not enough to guarantee a sale on their own.

We’ve all done it. A product catches our eye. We stop to look at it, maybe even pick it up and read the packaging, before putting it back and moving on. The visibility worked, but something was missing, and that stopped us from buying. That’s because purchasing decisions are rarely driven by just visibility. They come from a combination of visibility, confidence and trust. That confidence might come from buying a brand they already know, a friend recommending it to them, seeing positive reviews or even a special offer. In food and drink in particular, confidence often comes from experience, which is why sampling is such a strong conversion tool.

Removing the Barriers to Purchase

Trying a new product isn’t quite as easy as it sounds. Moving away from what they know has quite a lot of psychological risks for the customer – what will it taste like? Is it worth the price? Will the family enjoy it too? How different is it from the brand they already know and buy? They’re small things, but they add up to some significant concerns. Enough to put some people off buying altogether.

The easiest way to get past these barriers is to give them an easy, free way to try the product for themselves. Instead of them having to rely on the marketing (which is always going to say the product is amazing), let them try it in a no-pressure situation, so that they can get the answers to their questions before they open their wallets. A knowledgeable brand ambassador can help by providing information and having conversations while the sample does the rest. Once sampling has removed those barriers, the conversion moment happens naturally.

The Power of Human Interaction

There’s another reason that consistent sampling is so effective, and it often gets overlooked by retailers. Unlike other forms of marketing, it creates a genuine conversation. A customer might stop because they’re curious about the product (or they just want something for free, we’ve all done it), but what keeps them engaged is the person behind the stand. They’re answering questions, adapting conversations and helping customers make informed decisions. They’re also able to ‘upsell’ naturally, offering suggestions for pairings that are available in the store. For example, if a brand is running a campaign prompting a cheese selection, the ambassador might recommend certain wines that would pair beautifully with them. This kind of interaction not only increases spend, but it builds trust with customers and keeps them coming back.

In an environment where they are so bombarded with marketing messages that they become numb, authentic conversations stand out. They create a new, positive experience that customers remember, whether they buy right away or come back to the product on a future shopping trip. It moves the conversion point significantly.

Why The ‘Always On’ Approach Matters

A lot of brands and retailers still think about sampling as something that happens around product launches or seasonal campaigns, generating a burst of activity and excitement that very quickly fades away. But at Fizz, we have another way of doing things – one that gives everyone involved better results. Instead of concentrating activity into a handful of isolated events, it creates regular opportunities for shoppers to discover products throughout the year, boosting conversions at every turn.

‘Always On’ is essentially refocusing sampling activity from brands to the retailer. Rather than brands approaching retailers and fighting to get sampling activations on a one-off basis, retailers build sampling into their overall promotional packages. They become aligned with promotions, launches and category priorities, and are provided to the brands already paying to advertise and promote their products in the stores. This creates consistency for both retailer and brand, which benefits everyone, and customers are exposed to a much wider variety of products. Want to know more? Contact the Fizz Experience team now, and we’ll be happy to talk through your options.