We were able to catch up with Jordi Calduch at Sampling Innovations, a Spanish firm leading a number of initiatives in fragrance innovation, and chat about some of the technology trends in the space. Here, he explains why self sampling is swiftly becoming such an important part of the fragrance marketing landscape.

What does Sampling Innovations do?

We strive to provide positive experiences to the end consumer through the sampling of new products. With nearly 30 years of experience, Sampling Innovations Europe is comprised of a multidisciplinary team that is expert in total project management. We offer a full service from design and production through to the promotion and distribution of promotional samples, gift packs, or single dose retail products. We are experts in developing profitable and innovative solutions for all kinds of campaigns, always taking into account the client’s brand, product, target audience, and budget.

How does Sampling Innovations distinguish itself on the market?

We offer experience and expert knowledge in many areas, such as the compatibility between bulk products and packaging materials, printing technologies, suitable packing formats, and creative ideas for the final packaging concept. We place special emphasis on design and thinking about how the client will value the sample he or she receives.

What is your market position as a company?

We have established ourselves as a leading company in the field of promotional sampling formats. We offer, along with our personalized total project management service, sampling solutions that support both new product and brand launch campaigns. We always recommend the best format and solution for each project.

Where is the company currently located?

The head office is located in Spain (Barcelona) where we have our main facilities, warehouses, and our office offering logistic services. We also have satellite offices in France and the United Kingdom.

What markets does your company target?

We are focused on the fragrance, cosmetic, and personal care markets. We deliver high quality sampling solutions to suit any brand, from mass market to premium. Our solutions are guaranteed to generate noticeable impact on any marketing campaign.

What sort of customers do you have?

We work with leading fragrance brands through important cosmetic and pharmaceutical laboratories. All of them are interested in innovating with regard to their promotion strategies for new products

Let's talk about self-sampling. What advantages does it provide to the retailer and the user? What possibilities does it open up?

Self-sampling has undoubtedly been the most successful innovation of the last year in the fragrance sector, to which is added a growing demand for experiential solutions. That is, to make the client feel different emotions that attract him or her to the reality created by the perfume in question. The retailer has the advantage of being able to distribute high quality samples autonomously, without the need for a permanent promoter present. For the potential customer, this is fundamental in the case of fragrances. The user enjoys the intimacy of the experience of discovering a perfume and can take the sample away to share it with other people, which multiplies the efficiency of sampling. The possibilities offered by this product are mainly oriented to an innovative and interactive system that pleasantly surprises the customer with the advantage that, in a market as atomized as is that of fragrances, our system offers a quick and easy way to discover a new scent.

Does self sampling work in line with the personalization trend that consumers currently value?

Yes, of course! In this case, we offer the personalization of the experience, of trying a scent without feeling pressured by the proximity of a promoter. Once the customer is attracted to the fragrance, it is he or she who can then seek more advice that can be offered by the promoter. The secret lies in how fast the customer gets a sample without having to pick up a bottle, use a sample stick, apply the fragrance, and smell. It is a complementary solution to what currently exists.

Where is the future of sampling headed? What are the new trends?

Good question! Sampling campaigns require a significant investment and this forces us to analyze and understand the expectations of our customers perfectly so that we jointly ensure the achievement of the objectives. Our experience in multiple markets gives us the know-how that we share with them. Clearly, the trend follows two courses: the distribution of samples requested via the Internet and facilitating the automatic dispensing of samples and sachettes through interactive mechanisms. We currently have a system for dispensing sachettes in addition to the aforementioned self-sampling for perfume samples.