Wednesday Wisdom

Everybody knows how expensive sampling can be, but can you get more bang for your freebie bucks during the middle of the week? Crowds are bigger on weekends, so that’s when the majority of events are scheduled, but a new study from The Sunflower Group, an Overland Park, KS-based sampling company, suggests the weekday shopper may be more receptive to trying new products.

These findings were compiled from surveys of 4,000 consumers intercepted at midweek and weekend in-store demonstrations. Sunflower’s definition of weekend sampling is 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday. Midweek demos are done 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday.

– Midweek shoppers are 13 percent more likely than weekend shoppers to be looking for new products to try. And those new product seekers are 15 percent more likely to buy the demoed product.

– Midweek shoppers are 66 percent more likely to be coming from work and 25 percent more likely to be stopping for just a few necessities. What’s more, they are 19 percent less likely to have a written list.

– The midweek shopper who came from work is 17% more likely to be looking for dinner, a strong consideration for home meal replacement brands.