Freeosk Kiosks Dispense Contactless Options for Modified In-store Sampling Experience

With person-to-person sampling benched indefinitely by the pandemic, Freeosk is rolling out enhancements to its product discovery platform that make its interactive instore kiosks completely contactless. The updated kiosks, currently delivering product samples to millions of shoppers at more than 1,300 Walmart, Sam’s Club, and other grocery stores nationwide, replace touchscreens with phone app- or membership card-activated scanners and dispense samples through a doorless drop-zone.

“In 2013, when we installed our first instore kiosks at a handful of Sam’s Clubs, ‘contactless’ referred more to the always-on nature of our platform as an adjunct to person-to-person sampling, than to the tactile details of the customer experience,” said Freeosk CEO Matt Eichorn. “Clearly, Covid has changed that definition.”

One of the few things the pandemic hasn’t changed, according to a recent nationwide survey by Freeosk, is shopper interest in free product samples. If anything, Covid-prompted economic stressors and product shortages appear to have accelerated interest in sampling, with nine out of 10 respondents indicating they prefer to try something before they buy. And yet, 56 percent of consumers surveyed said they weren’t sure when, if ever, they’d be willing to return to samples provided by a person.

“From a brand and retailer perspective, instore sampling has historically been embraced as one of the most effective means of influencing shoppers where it matters most, on the path to purchase,” said Eichorn. “Freeosk provides a safe, hygienic way for maintaining that all-important connection in today’s reality and beyond.”

Freeosk’s proprietary kiosk technology creates an immersive, instore experience in which, with the swipe of an app or loyalty card, shoppers unlock free samples of everything from baby items to breakfast foods. While Freeosk dedicates its physical sampling capacity to one, shelf-stable product per week, the interactive multimedia screen on the kiosk can promote a full spectrum of products across categories, including fresh and frozen items, to help drive sales storewide.

The instore sampling experience is only one point of contact in Freeosk’s omni-channel shopper discovery and engagement platform. Beyond the aisles, Freeosk helps brands and retail partners close the loop with customized email campaigns and media retargeting across digital and social channels. Freeosk’s measurement tools provide retailers with invaluable shopper level insights, looking beyond traditional past purchase data to understand how shoppers behave instore and predict shoppers’ future behaviors.

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