Free samples with your curbside groceries: How brands are wooing Walmart’s online shoppers

“As an emerging brand, we wanted to find a way to get in front of customers knowing they’re not browsing in stores as much as they used to,” she said.

She said the samples lifted sales, while costing less than store demonstrations and scaling more easily across about 1,000 stores.

Add sampling to the list of pandemic-related changes that may stick. As more grocery shoppers use curbside pickup and delivery, consumer packaged goods companies have had to experiment with new ways to get their products in front of people. Major retailers are trying to capitalize on the surge in demand by charging brands for access to their shoppers and data they’ve gathered about their preferences — while also delighting customers with freebies.

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