Costco is a membership only warehouse that is the second largest retailer in the United States. What draws the customers there is the ability to buy in bulk for cheaper, but most importantly the main reason is for the free samples. In this article, studies show that samples in stores increase business drastically, as people love the feeling of getting something for free. Costco is known for having multiple sample tables throughout its stores to persuade customers to purchase that product. In Costco’s mind, having samples in stores makes shopping more fun for customers, bringing more people to the store for a longer period of time because they enjoy it, which increases their sales. This makes customers loyal to the company, causing them come back and buy more, which is exactly what Costco wants. The psychology behind the free samples is that when people are offered something for free, they feel the need to return the favor by purchasing the product. Another aspect is that if a person tastes a sample of chocolate for example, it acts as a reminder to them of how much they like chocolate, causing them to buy it. It’s an excellent business strategy that shows across all Costco stores, as their success is well recognized through their extensive sales. Even their food court is extremely profitable while being able to offer a hot dog for a $1.50, because of the influx of people. If Costco was not a retail store, it would be the eleventh largest pizza place in the U.S. Through this you can see how many people come to Costco, proving that their business strategy of psychological persuasion is a huge success for their company.
http://www.msn.com/en-ca/money/companies/the-psychology-behind-costcos-free-samples/ar-BB6O0Yu