You no doubt have heard these words before: “Try it, you’ll like it,” or “Try it and you’ll buy it.”

Do you ever get coaxed by someone to try different foods you never experienced before? If so, did you like or dislike the experience? Was it compelling enough to change your mind about a certain item?

My wife has this obsession of always wanting me to try a particular food item either at home or in a restaurant. She reaches out her fork or spoon toward me and says, “Try this. It’s really good.” After tasting whatever food item she beckons me to try, I often wind up liking it.

What took place with my wife’s persuasive method of tasting all those different food items? Most of the times I was sold on them. This approach is nothing more than “sampling.” It is a taste-testing performance that influenced me to buy the product.

The most action-inspiring word is “free.” Offer people something for free and you’ll capture their attention all the time.

Consumers walking through the produce department are reluctant to purchase or try new and different items by just seeing them on displays without ever having tasted them. Obviously, it is not appropriate for a customer to pick up a specific apple, peach or other piece of fruit and start biting into it to find out its flavor.

Therefore, the best way to satisfy consumers is with in-store demo sampling.

This method influences people to actually taste an item they are uncertain of purchasing. Once they experience the flavor, it usually leads to a positive sale of that product.

Jonathan Raduns, owner and consultant of Merchandise Food in Somerdale, NJ, and an associate of FreshXperts LLC said, “Well-executed demos connect friendly, smiling faces to a brand product. The best demos are more than a sample. They embody imagery, education, customer service, tell a story and deliver real-life experiences customers can connect with. Great demos are memorable and create reasons to buy again later.”

In-store product sampling is the best way to introduce new items and increase flavor awareness to shoppers. It also helps boost new sales.

Byron Bellows, produce merchandiser for Coleman’s in Corner Brook, NL, Canada, explained, “In our experience, sampling has been one of the most successful ways to introduce a new item or improve sales volume on a regular item. The best way to have someone taste or try a product is to sample it or give it away free. In the produce world, items change with the seasons and new varieties come on the market. You can sample something new and exciting every day. Citrus is a great example of how things change. Navel oranges or Clementines can have an entirely different flavor from one variety to another or growing region, so this is a great opportunity to connect with your customer one on one and gain their trust.

“Many shoppers repeatedly buy the same 10 or 15 produce items on a regular basis, but there are now over 800 different items and choices stocked in departments today,” he continued. “Our objective is to persuade customers to try and buy some of those other items as well. Sampling will accomplish this and trigger sales.”

Jeff Tomassetti, director of produce & floral for Buehler’s in Wooster, OH, said, “We do in-store demos weekly in all our stores because we feel that strongly about the positive effect they have on sales. We have several of our larger stores that even use some of their own produce employees and labor to run demos several days throughout the week. Recently, we set up an in-store demo making fresh guacamole at our Wooster location and the results were astounding and we could not keep up with the demand. Without the customer trying the product we would have been lucky to sell $50 worth. By letting the customers see us making the product fresh and them tasting it, we sold over $800 worth our first day. In addition, we sold extra avocados, cilantro, garlic, tomatoes and onions during the demo. We also like to put samples out in a covered dome when we have ripe product that we know tastes great and we need to move.”

In-store sampling can consist of a trained demonstrator at a table or the use of free-standing plastic domed floor fixtures. Both methods should always be accompanied with a trash receptacle. Educational product brochures and recipes are also recommended. Most of all, a well-stocked display alongside the demo is imperative.

It has been proven many times that 60-70 percent of shoppers who sampled produce items from in-store demos were encouraged to make purchases. In addition, more that 50 percent made repeat purchases of the product.

Ron Pelger is the president and CEO of RonProCon, a consulting firm for the produce industry, and the chairperson of FreshXperts LLC, a consortium of produce professionals. He can be reached by phone at 775/853-7056 or by email at [email protected], or check his details on freshxperts.com for more information.