27 September 2018 - Deborah Wilkes
A new business called free4you is offering a fresh approach to product sampling in the UK that provides health and beauty companies with feedback from consumers.
Managing director Michael Augusti told OTCToolbox that free4you was “much more than just a product sampling company”. He said the free4you website provided consumer insights, ratings and reviews, and couponing as well as product sampling.
“Many brand owners want to get their products into the hands of consumers and receive honest feedback from them about their experiences,” said Augusti, pointing out that the free4you website generated ratings and reviews that could be used in marketing campaigns.
Ratings and reviews
Augusti said a recent campaign for Pfizer Consumer Healthcare's ChapStick had seen sample packs – each containing an apple, cherry and strawberry variant of the lip balm – requested by 760 consumers. The campaign had delivered 758 consumer reviews, giving the ChapStick products an overall rating of 4.6 out of 5 stars.
Another campaign for Clinova's O.R.S Hydration Tablets had delivered 947 reviews, giving an overall rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars.
Persuading buying teams at retailers
Augusti pointed out that free4you also generated consumer insights that could “add weight to retailer listings”. “Proof of product demand is essential to persuade buying teams to list products," he said, adding that free4you enabled brand owners to provide “retailer specific data and consumer insights to help leverage listing propositions”.
Commenting on the couponing service, Augusti said free4you worked with the UK’s largest coupon and voucher service provider, Valassis UK.
Augusti, who spent 10 years at Ceuta Healthcare, told OTCToolbox that more than 70,000 consumers had signed up to sample products on the free4you website. They were spread across all age groups, he said, and 42% were men.
“We have made sure that we have a very even spread of consumers in terms of age and sex,” commented Augusti.
Free4you specialises in health and beauty brands but also carries out product sampling for a wide range of consumer products including foods and drinks.
Wastage minimised
Augusti said free4you was the "UK's only national, self-select direct-to consumer sampling company". “The traditional wastage associated with sampling and couponing is minimised," he added, “which ensures your products are placed into the hands of the right consumers.”
He added that the service was "cost-effective". "Our aim is to help grow brands, regardless of the size of the budget," he said.
To find out more about free4you visit the website at https://www.free4yougroup.com or click here to send an email to Michael Augusti.
Take out an Annual Subscription to the OTCToolbox website, giving you UNLIMITED ACCESS to all of our publications
* Premium News Stories
* OTCToolbox Innovations magazine NEW IDEAS BETTER WAYS
* OTCToolbox Deals Database
* News Extras
* OTC Deal Trends Briefing
* OTC Company Strategies Report
Helping you and your company make well-informed decisions
CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE