A new retail phenomenon from Japan which allows customers to walk away with free products is to launch in Britain.

From tomorrow, visitors to SampleTrend’s central London store can try anything on its shelves, and all of the products can be taken home without charge.

For a nominal annual membership fee of £60, users are free to enter the shop once a month and help themselves to no less than £250 worth of goods every year.

The only ‘catch’ is that shoppers are asked to complete a simple questionnaire about each product they try.

Known as ‘try-vertising’, the concept allows manufacturers to test products and receive consumer feedback before launching onto the open market.

It is already a sensation in Japan and now looks set to transform the fortunes of the embattled UK retail industry.

According to new figures, stores are facing a Christmas crisis with the weakest High Street trading for six months.

Michael Ghosh, the brainchild behind SampleTrend, said: 'The concept behind SampleTrend is unique in the UK.

'It allows shoppers the opportunity to walk away with a number of real, full-size products of their choosing without handing over a penny.'

The concept of in-store try-vertising is simple but effective. Businesses across all sectors, from cosmetic manufacturers to beverage makers, place new products on the shelves at SampleTrend and wait for consumers to try them out.

Customers complete a short 10-point questionnaire about the product, and the feedback they provide is used to make any last-minute tweaks before the product is brought officially to market. The SampleTrend store stocks everything from cosmetics, food and drink, and household goods.

Ghosh, the former advertising and sales director for Disney Europe, said such feedback may also build brand loyalty from the outset - a particularly appealing prospect for new businesses.
日本的新式零售模式将进军英国，按照这一模式，顾客可以免费拿走商品。

从明天开始，光临伦敦中部“样品趋势”商店的顾客可以试用货架上的所有物品，而且可以免费拿回家。

只需象征性的每年交纳60英镑会员费，顾客就可以每月免费光临一次商店，每年可以免费带走250英镑以内的货品。

顾客需要做的就是对试用的每样商品填写一份简单的调查问卷。

这一概念被称为“体验式广告”，可以让生产商在公开发售产品之前进行测试，并收到消费者反馈。

这种方式在日本已经很流行，目前着眼于振兴陷入困境的英国零售业。

根据数据，英国商店正面临圣诞危机，商业街贸易额处于近半年以来的谷。

“样品趋势”的首创者迈克尔•戈什说：“‘样品趋势’的理念在英国很独特。”

“它使顾客可以带走很多自己选择的货真价实的、全尺寸的商品，而不用付一分钱。”

店内“体验式广告”的理念很简单，但效果显著。所有的商业部门，从化妆品制造商到饮料生产商，都把新产品放在了“样品趋势”商店的货架上，供顾客挑选。

顾客随后会针对该商品填写一份简短的满分为10分的调查问卷，这些反馈会用于商品正式出售前的调整。“样品趋势”商店存有化妆品、食品、饮料、日用品等几乎全部种类的商品。

迪斯尼欧洲的前广告销售总监戈什说，这样的反馈机制也可以从最初就建立起品牌忠诚度，这一前景对新兴商业来说非常有吸引力。

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