Sample to Full Size: A 3-Touch Follow-Up Plan
A sample that arrives with no next step often ends there. Use this 3-touch follow-up plan — pack insert, check-in, and easy full-size path — to turn samples into full-size orders.
A sample that arrives with no next step often ends there. The shopper tries it, likes it, then forgets where they ordered from. The sale you wanted was never the sample itself. It was the full-size order that should come after.
This guide is a simple 3-touch follow-up plan you can run yourself after a sample ships: one note in the box, one check-in message, and one easy path back to the full-size product. It works whether you send samples for free or at a lower price. Product Samples by Luke handles the ordering side; the follow-up is your job as the merchant.
What “3 touches” means
Three contacts, spaced out, each with one job:
- Touch 1 — in the package (ships with the sample): show them how to use it and where the full size lives.
- Touch 2 — a few days after delivery: ask how it went. Listen first. Don’t lead with a discount.
- Touch 3 — when they’re ready to buy: make the full-size product one click away, not buried on your homepage.
You can use email, SMS, or a printed card. The channel matters less than the timing and the clarity.
Before the first touch: make the sample easy to reorder from
If customers can’t tell a sample from a full-size item in checkout, follow-up gets messy. With a separated sample box, samples go into their own Sample Box instead of the regular cart, and checkout from that box only includes those samples. Label the physical sample the same way it appears on your product page (name, colour, finish). That label is what they’ll search for when Touch 3 arrives.
Not sure which products should offer a sample in the first place? Start with which products should offer samples. For free vs paid samples and shipping choices, see how to price and ship samples.
Touch 1: the pack insert (ships with the sample)
What you do: Print a small card and put it in every sample shipment. One side: how to use or judge the sample. Other side: where to buy the full size (short URL or QR to that product page, not your homepage).
Keep the card to a few lines. Example wording you can adapt:
- “Hold this next to your wall / light / skin in daylight.”
- “Full size: [product name] — order at [short link].”
- “Questions? Reply to your order email or write us at [support].”
What the customer sees: They open the box, find the sample and a clear next step. They don’t have to hunt your site later. The sample sits on their table with a reminder of who sent it.
Touch 2: the check-in (a few days after delivery)
What you do: Send one short email or SMS once the sample should have arrived. Ask how it went. Invite a reply. Save the discount for later — or skip it if the product sells itself after one try.
Suggested outline:
- Open with the product name they sampled.
- Ask one question: “How did it look / feel / fit?”
- Offer help if something was off.
- Link once to the full-size product (same link as the card).
You send this from your own email or SMS tool. Product Samples does not send these follow-ups for you — plan the message before the first sample leaves your warehouse.
What the customer sees: A store that cares how the sample worked, not only whether they buy. People who reply give you real reasons they will or won’t order full size. People who don’t reply still got a useful nudge with a direct link.
Touch 3: the easy full-size path
What you do: Make reordering obvious. Link straight to the matching full-size product (or the right variant). If you use a soft offer, keep it simple — free shipping on the full size, or a short window — and say when it ends. Don’t send them to a generic collection and hope they find it.
Timing ideas:
- Right after a positive reply to Touch 2.
- Or about a week after delivery if they stayed quiet.
What the customer sees: One clear product page, the same name that was on the sample label, and a reason to order now. No scavenger hunt.
How to know which samples turn into full-size orders
Write down which sample products lead to full-size buys, and which don’t. Offer more of the ones that convert. The app’s metrics help you see sample activity; here’s how to read Product Samples analytics. Pair that with your own notes from Touch 2 replies — a one-line “What stopped you?” often explains a quiet dashboard.
A one-week checklist
- Print or order pack inserts for the products you sample.
- Write Touch 2 and Touch 3 templates in your email/SMS tool (two short drafts is enough).
- Confirm sample labels match product-page names.
- Ship the next batch with Touch 1 in every box.
- Schedule Touch 2 from your delivery estimate, not from the order date alone.
- Review replies and full-size orders at the end of the week; adjust which products get samples.
Sample to full size is a conversation
The sample starts it. The three touches finish it. Plan the second and third messages before you send the first box — and keep every link pointed at the full-size product the customer already tried.
Product Samples by Luke costs $12/month and comes with a 7-day free trial. It lets customers order samples of your products for free or at a lower price, right from your Shopify store.
Try Product Samples free on the Shopify App Store →
Questions about your setup? Get in touch.
