SC Johnson-owned Glade wanted more people to try out its home air freshener. But with the rise of online shopping, fewer consumers are picking up free samples or attending product demonstrations in physical stores. They needed a plan that made sense for scents.
How Glade increased sales with direct mail sampling
Teaming up with Walmart, Glade took the air-filled packing pillows in delivery boxes of online purchases and filled them with Glade home air freshener. When consumers unpacked their Walmart deliveries and popped the pillows, they got a whiff of Glade’s spring fragrance before being offered the opportunity to purchase the scent via a QR code.
As Walmart’s air-filled pillows need to be popped prior to recycling, they also guaranteed an intimate in-home moment with the product and brought online shoppers one step closer to conversion. By integrating a direct mail sampling into a partner’s order fulfillment, Glade found a way to surprise and delight potential customers.
The takeaway
The activation generated an 83 per cent increase in sales of Glade’s home fragrances on walmart.com during its first week, as well as more than 11 million impressions in the first month. Ah, the sweet smell of success.