Show me the freebies!

Have you ever bought a magazine, simply because of the free tote, or lipgloss, or sample attached to the cover? Or excitedly accepted the offer of a free piece of bread or meat on a toothpick at the supermarket? More importantly, has a free sample change your purchasing habits? 


I recall being conflicted, between my much loved hair care products and my dignity. I had ended a relationship, only to realize that I had left my near new bottles of L'oreal EverStrong shampoo and conditioner at his house. I sheepishly sent a message, asking him to reclaim my beloved products at a convenient time. Not my proudest moment, but such is my affection for quality shampoo and conditioner. 


So how did I find a product that I was willing to forgo my dignity for? Funnily enough it was a free sample from Priceline pharmacies (yes, I am a member of their club, I am a member of pretty much all of the free retail clubs.) I received a wonderful letter from them, declaring the launch of a fantastic new product. I did not read any of the promotional material, for I was too excited about the enclosed free samples of L'oreal EverPure shampoo, conditioner, and leave-in conditioner! That night, I tore open the leave in conditioner, it was clear (unlike every other leave in conditioner I have used) but it smelled amazing. I went to bed that night, like a kid on Christmas eve. In the morning, I would get to unwrap the free shampoo and conditioner. Needless to say, expectations were exceeded. I ensured that my new, beloved hair product was added to the shopping list. But when it came time to commit to the new love of my life, I stalled. Should I go for the EverPure, a tried and tested success, or should I go for the EverStrong, a sister product, which promised to 'reconstruct' my hair? My hair has had a tough few months, with a transformation from brown to platinum blonde and back, and so I went out on a limb and purchased an untried product. The rest, they say, is history. I gaze at my shampoo adoringly en masse in the supermarket. Birds start to sing, and all is right in the world. Ok, well, maybe not that bad, but I am definitely in love. 


So let's trace this back. I received a free sample of product A from Priceline. I then go to Coles, as part of my regular shopping routine, to purchase product A, but end up purchasing product B. L'oreal does not care, as I have still purchased one of their products. Poor Priceline has hooked me on a product, which I have not gone on to purchase from them. During my grocery shopping tonight, I purchased my beloved products for $8 each, that is a saving of over $5 on each item! I would not expect to receive specials like this from Priceline, plus their locations and opening hours do not fit with my shopping habits. 


So what can Priceline do to make a loyal customer out of me? They can get to know me better. Rather than sending out blanket promotional material, they can identify the products I purchase from them and specifically target these. They can provide offers too good to refuse, offers that cannot be matched or bettered by a supermarket. They know I love my hair, many of the visits to their store have been to purchase hair colouring products that are not available in a supermarket. I have had loyalty card scanned on each of these occasions. If they tapped into this, and provided me with directed marketing of new and relevant products, and threw in the occasional freebie, we would have a better relationship. I would have my needs for free stuff and beautiful hair met, and you would have my love and attention...and cash. 


With increasing online competition, and supermarkets forever increasing the range of products offered, specialty stores need to utilise the customer spending data they have available to them, and create new and innovative ways of making customers feel special. Spending money is as much of an emotional experience as it is a logical one. 


I will continue to explore this idea of shopping as an emotional experience in my next blog entry.