Does In-Store Sampling Sell? Retail Analytics for a PepsiCo Snack Launch

At a glance. Client: PepsiCo. Role: sales analyst on a new snack line launch. Methods: store-level sales analysis comparing retailers that ran in-store sampling with those that did not, retail account performance analysis, and sales pitch development. Finding: in-store sampling was not producing a measurable lift in sales.

The Challenge

The company was investing heavily in in-store sampling to drive trial of a new snack line, and leadership wanted more of it. Sampling is expensive. Every event costs staff time, product, and retailer coordination. The question nobody had answered with data was whether it was selling product.

Research and Diagnosis

I compared sales at retailers that ran sampling with sales at retailers that did not, then looked at which stores were buying more of the line and why. The goal was to separate what was driving orders from what simply happened at the same time.

What We Did

The analysis showed sampling was not helping sales. I identified the retail accounts that were buying more and the factors behind their orders, then built sales pitches the team could use to get stores to buy more, along with guidance on which accounts deserved the field team's time.

Results

The data showed no measurable sales lift from in-store sampling. My recommendation was to move effort and budget from sampling toward the accounts and selling arguments that were working.

What It Means

The product line was later discontinued. An analysis only pays off when it changes a decision, but the discipline behind it is the same one Orr Consulting brings to every engagement: test the assumption everyone believes before spending more money on it. The same thinking drives our marketing mix modeling work today.

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