Why SoPost sampling is a high-yield investment for fragrance brands

The global fragrance market is thriving. It’s projected to reach over $60 billion this year, with online sales expanding year-on-year. However, for fragrance brands the question remains: how do you accurately convey an experience as personal and multisensory as scent through a screen?

Despite the rapid development of technology, the ability to smell the internet remains an insurmountable challenge. However, as fragrance brands globally are quickly learning, consumers are increasingly turning to social media as their primary discovery channel, meaning fragrance brand marketers need to strategically deploy physical, tangible product samples to reach these audiences.

The olfactory experience in the digital age

Fragrance is more than a deliciously scented chemical compound. It’s a deeply personal, core part of someone’s identity. Scents interact with a person’s skin chemistry uniquely, evolving throughout the day. At times, it can evoke powerful, subconscious emotions, connections and memories. Scent is inherently subjective, so for consumers to truly connect with a fragrance, they need to experience it first hand.

The mounting challenge facing fragrance brands is the ability to provide consumers with this experience. Globally, consumers are increasingly demanding efficacy and sensory pleasure in all areas of beauty. This has paved the way for virtual try-ons, which resonate deeply in the beauty industry, but are not currently possible within the realm of scent discovery. This means the stakes are much higher for fragrance brands, as consumers increasingly err on the side of caution when it comes to committing to luxury scents - particularly if they don't have direct experience of the product or brand.

This has given rise to a popular trend, causing concerns across the fragrance industry. Gen Z consumers in particular, regularly use TikTok (and other channels) to drive product discovery, seeing the advent of so-called “dupes”. This rising trend allows younger customers to experience “luxury” scents without the price tag that often accompanies traditional luxury fragrance.

This growing trend highlights the glaring need for fragrance brands across the globe to double down on product sampling as their primary olfactory marketing strategy.

From hopeful gesture to bespoke, omni-channel journeys for fragrance brands

Gone are the days of the humble sample; a paper strip handed to shoppers at a department store - barely discernible from the overwhelming smells of competing scents. Or, branded packaged samples with barely any relation to a consumer’s full-sized purchase, tossed in a bag as a nice-to-have. In 2025, this is no longer enough.

At SoPost, for over a decade, we’ve perfected the art of bridging the digital and physical divide, transforming a traditional, scattergun approach to product sampling into a precision-guided, tech-enabled science that drives sales, builds loyalty, and provides invaluable first-party data.

In our latest download, we’re providing a product sampling script for fragrance brands that helps amplify product discovery and drive revenue in 2025 and beyond. 

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