You can’t smell the internet

Close your eyes and imagine walking through the beauty hall of a pre-ecommerce, pre-COVID department store. Even before the visual overload of sparkling counters, glittering packaging, and brilliant color everywhere, what hits you is the scent. That glorious amalgamation of fragrances that call out: try me.

Beauty may be visual, but the beauty industry is all about the multi-sensory experience. And it's not just how a product looks, smells, or feels to the touch; it’s also how the product looks, smells, and feels on you. That interactive experience is what makes stores like Sephora and Ulta beloved destinations for cosmetics consumers. And it’s what makes the online beauty experience such a challenge.

Recreating the beauty experience online

Online is an essential channel for beauty products, but how can brands recreate that immersive in-store experience for online shoppers?

VR try-on tools have become commonplace. And brands like Charlotte Tilbury and Clarins are going a step further with virtual beauty counters, which allow for private online consultations and other personalized services that give consumers confidence in a purchase.

But what about products where smell is essential? Not just fragrances, but also hair and personal care products that consumers judge by scent?

Sampling technology offers a way to bridge the gap. It creates an opportunity for consumers to experience fragrance in the comfort of their homes and for brands to reach a wider yet highly targeted audience with their samples.

Putting fragrance in customers’ hands

Targeted digital sampling is not only a way to encourage a relevant online audience to try and buy a scent. With the right analytical tools, fragrance sampling also offers a valuable way to collect data and insights and drive awareness across multiple channels. Scent brands can gather opt-in data for future marketing, collect reviews to syndicate to e-retailers to increase conversions, and increase awareness through user-generated content from consumers posting about their samples on social networks.

For example, a 2020 digital sampling campaign for AERIN’s Hibiscus Palm fragrance reached 20K qualified consumers and generated a 64% opt-in rate for future marketing, providing a great start for a new product, even in a difficult year.

Digital sampling also enables quantitative and qualitative analytics so you can measure campaign ROI. That’s much more than any in-store spritz or scented magazine insert could ever do.

Floral or citrus?

The most advanced digital sampling technology allows you to incorporate customer choice in the sampling process, creating a more personalized experience and providing an opportunity to gather valuable customer insights in the process. Using pre-trial questionnaires and automated stock control, each consumer can self-select their sample based on personal preferences.

Stand out with SoPost

From fragrance to food, SoPost’s technology makes every aspect of digital sampling campaigns seamless. We’ll help you target the right audience, drive sales and, thanks to our direct syndication integrations, share reviews across platforms like Bazaarvoice, PowerReviews, and Yotpo.

Targeted digital sampling with SoPost is a powerful way to fuel your overall marketing strategy, impacting brand awareness, building audiences, and driving sales uplift. From targeting to analytics and all the logistics in between, SoPost will help you reach your goals.

Reach out to a sampling strategist now at sales@sopost.com.