Why a product sample can save brands from post-holiday returns

The holiday season can be somewhat of a paradox for brands. The triumph of record-breaking holiday sales is often followed by a crushing blow of post-holiday returns. While some argue that this is the cost of doing business, we know this is a challenge that can be overcome before a single holiday gift has even been wrapped. A proactive product sample can shift a consumer’s pre-purchase mindset, which in turn, can enormously reduce post-holiday return rates.

What a poor gifting decision really means

In 2024, North American holiday season sales topped a staggering $994.1 billion, and it’s estimated that, for the holiday season, retailers saw a return rate of around 12-15%. The astronomical rate of returns signals a cognitive dissonance between a holiday gift purchase and the person receiving the gift. It suggests a lack of confidence in gift giving, as well as general choice overload - and this is particularly true for products that require a sensory connection, like fragrance, beauty and skincare.

The channel consumers purchase gifts through also has an impact on post-holiday returns. For example, the average return rate for online purchases throughout 2024 in the U.S. was 24.5%. This is significantly higher than 8.71% for in-store purchases - an almost three-fold difference. During the holiday season, a gift-giver, driven by good intentions, is often guessing what to buy, because they haven’t experienced a product first-hand. This pre-purchase uncertainty creates a post-purchase lose-lose situation for brands - one that erodes customer trust.

However, this cognitive dissonance can be used to a brand’s advantage - not to manipulate or exploit - but to empower gift givers. A strategic, proactive product sample campaign can resolve the challenges shoppers face during the holiday shopping season, before a purchase is made, leading to a confident and well-founded decision on what to buy, reducing the risk of post-holiday returns.

A proactive product sample can save brands from post-holiday returns

Product sampling addresses the root causes of post-holiday returns head on. It’s a proactive, data driven approach that transforms a consumer’s shopping experience from uncertainty to total confidence - and you can get started today!

73% of consumers are more likely to buy a full-size product after receiving a sample, than if they were only to see an ad. For a high-value time like fragrance, this trial is the difference between an on the fence consideration and a confident purchase. By allowing the gift-giver to confirm the scent or efficacy of a product, it eliminates any guesswork. It also allows brands to consider a ‘get one, gift one’ campaign, which can prove highly effective during the holiday season.

Sending consumers a product sample before the holidays doesn’t just drive sales, it creates brand loyalty and product stickiness - a critical factor in reducing returns. Psychology shows that people value something more if they own it, and a sample creates this initial bond. By providing a potential customer with a positive experience through sampling, they are more invested in the product, meaning if they then choose to gift a full-size product to a loved one, their recipient is less likely to return it.

A pre-holiday product sample leads to post-holiday loyalty

One of the continuing themes throughout 2025 is that consumer trust in marketing is broken, and the desire for informed, thoughtful purchases is a rising trend that’s set to continue. A brand’s ability to capitalize on this desire before this year’s holiday season commences, will be the ones celebrating in January, while competitors flounder in a sea of post-holiday returns. At SoPost, our previous pre-holiday campaign data proves that a strategic, proactive product sample deployed now is more than a short-term marketing tactic. It’s a fundamental investment in:

• Building consumer confidence and trust
• Mitigating the single biggest cause of holiday returns
• Protecting profitability and brand loyalty

September is when consumers start to begin the holiday gifting decision making process, with things wrapping up by October. A product sample can build consumer confidence and lower the risk of a gift mismatch, which in turn, reduces the financial and logistical strain of post-holiday returns. 

Strategically speaking, a post-holiday hack is a pre-holiday sample; a solution to a chaotic problem, and a potential strategic and profitable win for the 2025 holiday season. Why  not give it a try? Get in touch with SoPost today to start your holiday season campaigning the right way.