USPS, Marketers Meet to Plan Sampling Programs

The U.S. Postal Service recently hosted the 2012 USPS Sampling Innovation Symposium, working with  direct-marketing leaders from consumer packaged goods firms and advertising agencies to develop  a turnkey home-delivery product sampling program. There's a clear reason for marketers' eagerness to help: 81% of consumers buy a product after they receive a free sample, and most prefer to sample products at home, according to a recent study by Opinion Research Corp. "Mail is the only medium that really enables marketers to do this," noted Marc McCrery, USPS executive manager for the sampling program. "It provides access to people's homes, and it can be tracked to determine if the samples actually convert to sales." The Postal Service will launch sampling opportunities inspired by the symposium over the next year. For details, see the news release at http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-postal-service-convenes-direct-marketing-industry-leaders-to-collaborate-on-new-product-sampling-revenue-strategies-2012-06-25