soft-offer technique that allows a first-time buyer to examine, use, or test a product for a short period of time before deciding to purchase or return it; also called free trial offer, free examination offer. A trial offer may also be a special reduced rate for firsttime buyers and/or may be in a special reduced quantity or term.
soft-offer (see hard offer) technique that allows a first-time buyer to examine, use, or test a product for a short period of time before deciding to purchase or return it; also called free trial offer, free examination offer. A trial offer may also be a special reduced rate for first-time buyers and/or may be in a special reduced quantity or term. Trial offers are particularly important in direct marketing, because the buyer has the disadvantage of not being able to see or handle the actual product as he would in a store. Trial usage is a good stimulant for word-of-mouth advertising.
Products best suited to a direct-mail trial offer are those that are easiest to ship, have a long shelf life, and are not likely to be damaged in transport. For example, print products are well suited to trial offers. The product must also be one that can be produced at a lowenough cost to offset losses incurred when prospective customers do not return or pay for goods shipped on trial. To keep the loss small, a trial version of the product can be developed-for example, a food sample that is enough to provide a taste, an excerpt from an audio or video recording, or a computer disk that demonstrates a software product without providing the complete program.
