There is a lot of news about Sams Club outsourcing product demos (see article by Chris Burritt at Bloomberg for just one of many examples).

In this article, I read a quote I don’t entirely agree with.

“Sampling mitigates risks for brands,” says VP and gm Brian Pear. “It’s less risky for mom because she’s able to sample it for free.”

Having reviewed and analyzed the sales data for 100+ retail brands over the past four years I have to say that this simply is not true for all brands.  There is a lot that needs to be in place for an in-store sampling experience to directly create incremental sales.
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