Driving Sales Velocity for a Beverages Brand through Digital Sampling

Learn how our targeted digital sampling campaign helped an RTD beverage brand overcome underperformance and secure assortment expansion.

A glass filled with a chilled beverage in it

Opt-Ins ✅

509

Verified Purchases 🛒

322

Sales Uplift 🎉

33%

About ⚡️

Our client is a nationally distributed RTD beverage brand that specialises in health-focused, ready-to-drink products with natural ingredients, available at major retailers such as Sprouts and Aldi. It emphasises functional benefits to appeal to wellness-conscious consumers, leveraging data-driven marketing to navigate a saturated market where consumer trial is essential for building loyalty and sustaining retail partnerships.

Challenge 🏔️

Risk of Reduced Product Assortment Due to Low Velocity

The brand encountered significant obstacles in sustaining its retail footprint:

Underperforming SKU: One of three approved SKUs was not meeting sales velocity thresholds, jeopardizing its presence on shelves.
Retail-Specific Pressures: National availability in Sprouts and select Aldi locations demanded targeted interventions to lift sales without broad, inefficient spends.
Traditional Sampling Limitations: Physical sampling was logistically challenging and expensive, especially in geo-dispersed stores.
Consumer Engagement Gaps: Need for precise targeting to drive trial among high-intent shoppers in a cost-effective manner.

With assortment reviews looming, the brand sought a digital solution to accelerate purchases and demonstrate ROI to retail partners.

Solution 💪🏼

AI-Powered Rebate Digital Sampling Approach

Buzzinly’s partner, The Customer Club, implemented a CPG marketing technology solution focused on digital sampling, shifting from traditional methods to verifiable, data-backed consumer incentives:

Geotargeted ad activation at Sprouts using Instagram and Facebook ads over one month, honing in on zip codes surrounding stores to achieve a 3% CTR and 60% conversion rate.
Expansion to Aldi with localized targeting in Southern California, replicating the rebate model to stimulate demand and foster repeat purchases.
Data-driven optimization and verification, tracking rebates for confirmed purchases and providing real-time insights to refine ad creative and targeting.
Integration with retail strategies to support trade negotiations by delivering measurable velocity gains.

Deploying Rebate Incentives for Targeted Consumer Activation

Partnered with the brand to focus on social media ads delivering rebates directly to shoppers.
Ensured alignment with shopper marketing principles, maximizing engagement while minimizing waste.
Facilitated scalable campaigns without physical samples, reducing costs and enabling easy expansion across retailers.

This approach leveraged the growing demand for digital sampling in CPG, where targeted rebates bridge online awareness and in-store action, aligning with trade marketing goals for velocity uplift in competitive retail environments.

Results 📈

Tangible Velocity Lift and Assortment Expansion

The digital sampling initiative yielded impressive, quantifiable wins:

509 registrations, with high consumer opt-in rates signaling strong interest in the rebate offers.
322 confirmed purchases, verified through rebate redemptions at Sprouts and Aldi, proving direct impact on sales.
+33% SKU increase, as elevated velocity led to approval for an additional SKU, enhancing on-shelf presence.

Campaign efficiency achieved without physical samples, reducing costs and scaling easily across retailers.

"[It] has enabled us to target and increase sales velocity at key retailers like Sprouts and Aldi."

— Sr. Brand Manager, RTD Beverage Brand

Key Takeaways 💡

This campaign highlights the transformative power of digital product sampling in CPG, where rebate-driven strategies deliver precise, trackable consumer engagement that traditional methods can't match. In the CPG sector, this approach is crucial for overcoming retail pressures, as digital sampling software enables 40% higher engagement rates through AI personalization and 3x conversion lifts via AR integrations, turning hesitant shoppers into loyal buyers without logistical hurdles.