Adam Wright, CMO at Sampl, has built a career at the intersection of marketing and innovation, and his move, after a long career brand side, to the digital sampling business Sampl is rooted in a frustration familiar to many marketers.
“When I was Head of Digital for Beiersdorf Northern Europe, we did a ton of different sampling campaigns and I was getting increasingly annoyed that it wasn’t very measurable,” Wright explains. He wanted to capture first-party data and prove ROI, something traditional campaigns struggled to deliver.
When he was introduced to Sampl through a media agency, the results of the first campaign were transformative, prompting a shift of the majority of Beiersdorf’s sampling efforts to the platform.
The evolution of sampling
Sampling, Wright points out, is far from new. “It’s been around thousands of years, ever since market traders handed products to potential buyers,” he says. The principle has always been straightforward: give a sample, and measure if it leads to a purchase.
However, scaling that one-to-one approach traditionally breaks the ability to track and measure impact. Over the last 15 years, as digital footprints have become increasingly central, Sampl has sought to close that loop.
“We run product sampling campaigns for beauty brands, FMCG brands, and more, ensuring the right product reaches the right person while managing fulfilment and data measurement,” Wright explains. The platform allows brands to track conversions step by step, giving insight far beyond the distribution of free products.
Changing perceptions among CMOs
Despite its longevity, sampling has often been treated as a cost rather than a strategic tool. Wright says that many brands order large volumes without understanding the potential value beyond mere distribution. Sampl acts as a bridge, capturing insights, reviews, and first-party data that marketers can leverage.
“A lot of CMOs are now realising that sampling can be a customer acquisition tool,” Wright said. He spends roughly a third of his role consulting with global brands on using sampling at pan-European and international scales.
The company has worked with brands such as THG to integrate samples into retail media packs. “Brands can buy a curated audience, track who receives a sample, and measure purchases on platforms like Look Fantastic or Cult Beauty,” Wright said. This level of insight allows marketers to understand and optimise campaigns in a way traditional methods never could.
Sampl was founded in Brighton and has grown to a team of 30. Originally focused on in-office sampling through the previous venture, Gems at Work, the business pivoted after COVID to home delivery and opt-in models for brands, particularly in beauty, skincare, fragrance, and now pet products.
Wright said that 70% of its business is now US-focused, with pet products becoming their fastest-growing sector. Their client roster includes global names such as Mars, Colgate, Bisdorf, and Estée Lauder.
Scaling and expansion plans
Wright sees the next phase as a measured international expansion. “We have fulfilment houses in the US and are exploring APAC and other regions,” he said. The company has been bootstrapped to date and is considering funding rounds to support this growth.
Rather than chasing rapid scale through private equity, Wright emphasised a tactical approach: win larger contracts with global brands first, then expand Sampl’s footprint alongside them..
For Wright, the appeal lies in making sampling work for marketers, not just consumers.
“Everyone loves free stuff, but as a marketer, you want to make sure it reaches the right person and that you can continue to engage with them afterwards,” he said. With advanced targeting and measurable outcomes, Sampl wants to reposition sampling from a simple promotional tactic to a sophisticated customer acquisition tool.
