Amazon Prime Samples are the latest craze in the world of online shopping and a fantastic opportunity for sellers to expand their customer base. Here’s a look at what you need to know about this game changer.
Amazon Prime members have all the fun. They get free 2-day shipping, free same-day delivery, two-hour delivery with Prime Now, unlimited movie streaming with Prime Video, Amazon Music unlimited, Amazon Dash, Amazon Elements products, and more. Now for an added bonus: exclusive access to Amazon Samples, the new product sampling program.
Amazon Prime Samples
What are they, you ask? They’re a great way for sellers to reach out and expand their customer base by offering newly-developed products straight to people with social clout.
Fig. 1. Screenshot of Beauty & Grooming Samples (as of 11.01.2017, courtesy of Amazon.com)
Buyers on Amazon.com can have a single unit of as many samples as they like, according to the current rules. There’s no refund, per se, but the samples come with promotional credit. Buyers will be able to apply this credit to products sold by the same brand.
The UK equivalent of Amazon Samples is the Beauty Sample Store. Then there’s the Free Sample with Purchase subcategory, with 150+ beauty products that come with a surprise sample. Likewise, there’s the Amazon UK Fresh samples. There are similar offers across all venues, like the Pantry Sample Store in India, which offers 3 free samples with each qualifying order worth over 500 rupees.
Last but not least, there’s the Amazon Prime Sample Boxes program.
Amazon Prime Sample Boxes
They’re a lot like the samples above. But sample boxes don’t come with a minimum purchase, and they like to travel in packs. Think swag bag.
Prime members may not get a new iPhoneX or a VR headset. But they will be given more samples than they can shake a stick at – all with one quick click. Members just need to browse the current selection of sample boxes, place an order, and then receive their refund in Amazon credit.
It’s a very effective business model for sellers who need to reach more customers quickly, especially if they’re just starting out on Amazon. Also, for those who need to distribute a large amount of products in a short space of time, this is a fantastic alternative to setting up a marketing campaign.
Of course, the campaign also has some offshoots. Amazon UK offered a free luxury beauty box with qualifying purchases this year. Some lucky buyers were also able to snag pet sample boxes and sports nutrition sample boxes earlier this year.
The Requirements
Sample boxes can only include the products described on the listing, with no other complimentary items. There’s also a ‘single unit per Prime member’ limit.
It works like this. Amazon ships the samples to the customer and a week later issues a credit refund. The customer can then use this credit to buy a full-sized product from the same brand. So, all of these full-sized products must already be available for purchase on Amazon. After all, what’s the point of reeling in a customer if there’s no listing?
A sample box can come with several items, but the customer will probably only like a few. So, when it comes time to use the Amazon credit/refund, they’ll probably use it on their favorite item.
Since they’ve already tried it before and liked it, they’ll probably like it again, and perhaps rate the full-sized product accordingly. Likewise, buyers can rate samples they don’t like. The important thing here is that you’re able to gauge the appeal of the product and the likelihood that it would sell on Amazon and then manage your inventory accordingly, maximizing profits.
How Do I Join?
The Amazon Prime samples program is currently available only to vendors. But, according to MarketHustl.com, who claims to have spoken about this with Claire Grover, Product Manager at Amazon, it will very likely accept FBA sellers soon.
The same source claims FBA sellers interested in the program can contact prime_sampling_pilot@Amazon.com directly for details. If you’ve already written or joined the pilot program, please share your experience with our readers in the comment section below or mention it the next time you speak with a member of our friendly Services Team.
Melanie takes an active interest in all things Amazon. She keeps an eye on the latest developments and keeps Amazon sellers up to speed.