The effect of free samples on immediate consumer purchase

Examines the practice and marketing consequences of giving out free food samples. Reports on a study, taken over a period of three days, of customers who entered a well‐established, ten‐year‐old chocolate store in a major suburban shopping mall, who received a free sample of chocolate. Shows that sampling immediately increased the sale of chocolates. Cautions that this positive effect was restricted to small purchases and to the purchase of chocolate varieties other than the variety sampled. Discusses the implications of the findings for marketing management and for consumer behaviour theory.