In marketing, a product demonstration (or ''"demo"'' for short) is a promotion where a product is demonstrated to potential customers. The goal is to introduce customers to the product in hopes of getting them to purchase that item. Products offered as samples during these demonstrations may include new products, new versions of existing products or products that have been recently introduced to a new commercial

marketplace A marketplace or market place is a location where people regularly gather for the purchase and sale of provisions, livestock, and other goods. In different parts of the world, a marketplace may be described as a '' souk'' (from the Arabic), ' ...

. Product demonstration enhances the quality of the sales presentation by providing a visual support. It is provided to be effective way to address the prospect 's specific product-related concerns.

In-store

In-store demonstrations are usually performed at large retail locations, such as supermarkets, department or

discount store A discount store or discounter offers a retail format in which products are sold at prices that are in principle lower than an actual or supposed "full retail price". Discounters rely on bulk purchasing and efficient distribution to keep down cost ...

s, or in shopping malls. The products that are promoted at in-store demonstrations may be food and beverages, food preparation equipment,

housekeeping Housekeeping is the management and routine support activities of running an organised physical institution occupied or used by people, like a house, ship, hospital or factory, such as tidying, cleaning, cooking, routine maintenance, shopping, ...

products,

personal care Personal care or toiletries are consumer products used in personal hygiene, personal grooming or for beautification. Products Personal care includes products as diverse as cleansing pads, colognes, cotton swabs, cotton pads, deodorant, eye lin ...

items, or occasionally other types of goods. The samples that are distributed may either be in readymade packets pre-assembled for the demonstration, or are prepared on site by the demonstrator. Some demonstrations involve the distribution of prepared food, requiring the demonstrator to bring equipment such as a

microwave oven A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce t ...

hot plate A hot plate is a portable self-contained tabletop small appliance cooktop that features one or more electric heating elements or gas burners. A hot plate can be used as a stand-alone appliance, but is often used as a substitute for one of the b ...

to the location. Often,

coupon In marketing, a coupon is a ticket or document that can be redeemed for a financial discount or rebate when purchasing a product. Customarily, coupons are issued by manufacturers of consumer packaged goods or by retailers, to be used in r ...

s for the product are distributed as part of the demonstration. Some demonstrations consist of coupon distribution only. Demonstrators may be employees of the store where the demonstration is being performed, employees or the manufacturer of the product, or

independent contractor Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

s who work for a

temp agency Temporary work or temporary employment (also called gigs) refers to an employment situation where the working arrangement is limited to a certain period of time based on the needs of the employing organization. Temporary employees are sometimes ...

. Most are not trained to seek out customers likely to buy the product.

Advantages

In-store demonstrations allow potential customers to touch or taste a product before they buy.

History

By the mid-1950s

Ron Popeil Ronald Martin Popeil (; May 3, 1935 – July 28, 2021), was an American inventor and marketing personality, and founder of the direct response marketing company Ronco. He made appearances in infomercials for the Showtime Rotisserie and coined t ...

states that "I was working in the Woolworth's store in Chicago selling the Chop-O-Matic, standing eight or 10 hours a day. I would do six demonstrations an hour. My vocal cords were so strained that I wouldn't want to talk to anybody when the day was over." The concept of the in-store demonstration started to boom in the 1980s.

Home

Door-to-door Door-to-door is a canvassing technique that is generally used for sales, marketing, advertising, evangelism or campaigning, in which the person or persons walk from the door of one house to the door of another, trying to sell or advertise a p ...

, and by-appointment salespeople demonstrate such products as

Tupperware Tupperware is an American home products line that includes preparation, storage, and serving products for the kitchen and home. In 1942, Earl Tupper developed his first bell-shaped container; the brand products were introduced to the public in 1 ...

, encyclopedias, vacuums, and carpet stain removers.

Trade show

Prototypes are often demonstrated in trade shows, and are called "

tech demo A technology demonstration (or tech demo), also known as demonstrator model, is a prototype, rough example or an otherwise incomplete version of a conceivable product or future system, put together as proof of concept with the primary purpose of s ...

s".

Fairs

Product demonstrations have been a staple of

state fair A state fair is an annual competitive and recreational gathering of a U.S. state's population, usually held in late summer or early fall. It is a larger version of a county fair, often including only exhibits or competitors that have won in th ...

s for many years.

Television

The first product demonstration in a format that would later be called an

infomercial An infomercial is a form of television commercial that resembles regular TV programming yet is intended to promote or sell a product, service or idea. It generally includes a toll-free telephone number or website. Most often used as a form of dire ...

is attributed to a 1949 demonstration of the Vitamix blender.

Roadside

Many countries around the world do not place legal restrictions on outdoor product marketing and demonstrations. Salespeople set up temporary sites to demonstrate their wares in order to attract sales.

China

A wide variety of products are demonstrated roadside throughout the China. Such products include frying pans, induction cookers, rubber gloves, vegetable peelers and slicers, stain removers, and knives.

United States

Joe Ades - Union Square, NYC - Aug 8 2005

Though uncommon today, the street demonstration was ubiquitous in such places as the Boardwalk in Atlantic City.

Video

Included with a purchase, a video on a DVD disc may be provided demonstrating the product's use. Video product demonstrations can also be found on the Internet at the homepages of companies or on web hosting sites such as YouTube. One notable example is the viral video

Will It Blend? ''Will It Blend?'' is a viral marketing campaign consisting of a series of infomercials demonstrating the Blendtec line of blenders, particularly the ''Total Blender''. In the show, Blendtec founder Tom Dickson attempts to blend various unusual ...

demonstrating Blendtec blenders.

Music Equipment

Product demonstration videos have become increasingly important for the sale of music equipment. With the increase of

online shopping Online shopping is a form of electronic commerce which allows consumers to directly buy goods or services from a seller over the Internet using a web browser or a mobile app. Consumers find a product of interest by visiting the website of the r ...

, there are fewer opportunities to try a product prior to purchase. This has a particular problem for music equipment which, unlike other technology, the quality of the sound produced may come down to a more personal preference and may not be as closely related to the specifications of a particular product. YouTube is one of the main hosts of music equipment videos, and channels may be run by retailers, publishers, musicians or even manufacturers themselves. With decreases in music sales, demonstration videos have become an additional source of revenue for full-time musicians, with artists such as Rob Chapman (musician, 1975) having over 400,000 subscribers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:In-Store Demonstration Advertising techniques Marketing techniques Selling techniques