SoPost’s Nearest Store feature drives offline ROI outcomes

For over a decade, SoPost has been at the forefront of digital product sampling. We work with some of the biggest brands in the world and actively engage with them to shape the SoPost platform. One of our biggest requests has been to translate online intent into verifiable, measurable offline ROI outcomes - this is why we implemented our Nearest Store feature.

We know that digital sampling campaigns are excellent at capturing attention and intent, but our brands wanted the definitive proof of the direct link between a sample trial and a physical retail sale. Nearest Store directly addressed this by creating a seamless, verifiable path from digital engagement to physical purchase. By introducing this feature, we fundamentally redefined how our brands secured offline ROI outcomes, allowing them to prove the value of their SoPost sampling investment like never before.

Eliminating friction to secure offline ROI outcomes

We know that when consumers engage with a SoPost sample, 72% of them express a desire to buy a full-sized product, and over 35% proceed to purchase. This represents a massive, highly-qualified pool of buyers that convert efficiently when the path to purchase is clear.

Real-world buying behaviour indicates that, while consumers prefer discovering products digitally, they’re still highly motivated to buy in-store. We implemented this feature to provide an immediate connection between post-trial enthusiasm and the physical purchase of a product, allowing brands to connect digital discovery with offline ROI outcomes, based on brand feedback.

For our brands operating in categories where the majority of sales still happen in-store, this feature has provided a clear path to fully attribute offline sales derived from sampling. Once a consumer has enjoyed their sample, we follow up with communication that clearly outlines where they can purchase it. This streamlines the path from digital engagement to a physical purchase location.

SoPost’s Nearest Store provides the direct path to attributable sales

Our Nearest Store feature is an intuitive, dynamic and geo-located map integrated directly within our post-trial purchase emails. It acts as a personalized purchasing guide, offering consumers a seamless path to purchase a full-sized product. Here’s how it works:

• The consumer’s nearest physical store stocking the product is instantly displayed
• A ‘get directions’ button opens the consumer’s preferred maps application in a single tap
• An optional ‘buy online’ link is tailored to the nearest retailer’s e-commerce store.

We implemented this feature in response to brand feedback to remove guesswork and potential search fatigue, guiding consumers directly to the most relevant location. This accuracy is key to driving attributable consumer actions post-sample while maximizing offline ROI:

Demonstrable growth from digital to retail
The Nearest Store feature is a powerful sales driver that efficiently guides highly qualified, engaged consumers directly to physical retail partners. This guarantees demonstrable growth across several key areas.

Quantifiable retail impact
The feature translates digital intent into a measurable boost in foot traffic and in-store sales - directly supporting the reality that most purchases still occur offline.

Foundation for closed-loop measurement
When paired with mobile vouchers or cashback offers, our Nearest Store feature creates a fully observable, end-to-end journey. This provides unprecedented, quantifiable data that allows brands to accurately measure real-world offline ROI.

Actionable data insights
Within campaign reporting, brands can now receive valuable data points, including:

• Which stores were most frequently recommended 
• Store-level and group-level performance
• Click through rates on the ‘get directions’ CTA.

Stronger retailer partnerships
By providing measurable footfall signs, the Nearest Store feature demonstrates how digital product sampling programs directly support and drive sales for key retail partners. Feedback from clients indicates that this helps them foster deeper, more collaborative relationships and contributes to mutual offline ROI outcomes.

This aggregated location data provides valuable insights into regional demand and consumer purchasing patterns, which in turn, allows brands to refine their marketing strategies to support future demonstrable growth.

Partner with SoPost for omnichannel success

Since implementation, our Nearest Store features has allowed brands to successfully connect digital sample engagement to tangible offline ROI outcomes, driving demonstrable growth by delivering actionable insights, ensuring every sample contributes directly to retail success. 

Don’t let valuable consumer intent fall at the point of purchase. Get in touch with SoPost today to integrate our Nearest Store feature to maximize your offling ROI outcomes today.

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