Build awareness and protect profits. It is a balancing act that many food startups fail to manage, especially when actively trying to convert new consumers. That’s it. – the 13 year-old minimal ingredient fruit bar brand – knows sampling is integral to its business. But how could giving away 10 million samples possibly generate an ROI? President Katie Eshuys emphasized the product concept itself was “a bit ahead of its time with simplicity and transparent ingredients.” So, getting consumers to taste the two-ingredient bars and realize “That’s it.” has become a key piece to keeping them coming back. - 44% of consumers purchase That’s it. twice or more every year “meaning that when consumers sample, they return,” she added.
Now sold in over 82,000 doors nationwide, That’s it. has dialed in its sampling strategy, shifting efforts in-house to cut out the middle man. By taking a “proactive” approach it has been able to lock in more “cost effective” and overall higher impact partnerships that enable targeted sampling opportunities, including serving as the official sponsor of activewear brand Fabletics’ run clubs. It is now looking to build up a consumer base for two new innovations: a kid-focused Crunchables snack mix and its clean ingredient Energy Bars. The former will focus heavily on the K-12 segment while the latter will look to a wider base that spans moms, college kids, travelers and fitness aficionados. The brand has also fine-tuned its retail sampling strategy as well after identifying a select few high-conversion retailers. Insiders can access the full story for a complete sampling strategy session. | 
