Food and drink brands on Faire have the opportunity to offer samples to retailers who want to taste their products before placing an order.
How do I offer samples on Faire?
You have two ways to offer food and drink samples to retailers:
Option 1: Allow eligible retailers to request samples
You can allow food and drink retailers who are new to your brand the option to request samples directly from your Faire shop.
- Go to your Marketing tab and select Samples.
- Select the Offer samples button to opt in.
- Eligible retailers new to your brand will now see the option to request samples.
- You can pause or opt out at any time in your Shop settings.
Option 2: Share a link to your samples with retailers
You can proactively offer samples to any retailer, whether they are on or off Faire, by sharing your unique samples link. You do not need to opt in to offering samples to new retailers on the marketplace in order to access or send your samples link.
- Go to your Marketing tab and select Samples.
- Select Copy within the Share your outbound samples link card and send it to any retailer lead or existing retailer you’d like to offer samples to.
- Retailers must access the link from a desktop to successfully view your sample offerings.
How do I inform retailers about samples?
You can promote that you offer free samples, to your retailers, by creating a targeted email campaign.
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Go to your Samples tab, and select the Email your customers tile.
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Choose Send an email campaign to notify retailers about your sample offerings
Can any retailer request samples from my brand?
All retailers, whether they are on or off Faire, have the opportunity to receive samples from your brand when you share your samples link. This includes both retailers who have previously shopped from your brand and those who haven't.
However, please note that the ability for retailers to request samples through the platform is currently limited to a specific group of food and drink retailers. If you've opted in to offering samples, these eligible retailers who have not yet shopped your brand on Faire and meet your sales preferences can request samples from you.
Additionally, retailers who are not yet on Faire do not need to go through our verification process to request a sample from you. If a retailer does decide to sign up for Faire, though, and they place an order with you they may have to provide some additional information to our team. To learn more about this process, visit Why can’t I see my retailer’s order in my account?
How do I fulfill sample requests?
When you receive a new sample request, a notification will show up next to the Samples section in your brand portal.
- Select the sample request to review the retailer’s information as well as add shipping information
- If applicable, edit the products selected in the request (add, remove, swap) to accommodate your inventory
- Once shipping information has been entered and the product selection looks correct, select Send sample
- If you do not wish to send the sample or if you are not able to, please select Decline request
Sample requests that are not fulfilled or declined within 30 days will be canceled.
Do I need to accept all sample requests?
No, it is up to you whether or not you accept sample requests.
Denying a request does not impact your performance or reviews on Faire, but we recommend letting retailers know why you've chosen not to fulfill their request as a courtesy.
How do I ship samples?
All samples on Faire must be shipped using Ship on your own and brands are responsible for covering the cost of shipping samples.
To send your sample request, add the following details for your shipment:
- Carrier you are using
- Tracking number
This information will be provided to the retailer, who will be able to track the shipment on their end.
How long do I have to fulfill a sample request?
We encourage fulfilling sample requests within a week. The sooner the retailer receives the sample, the sooner they'll be able to make a decision on purchasing your products.
Will my shop settings apply to sample requests?
The restrictions you have applied to orders (ex: selling to online-only retailers, postal code restrictions, etc) will apply for sample requests as well.
Does offering samples create a Faire Direct relationship?
If a retailer you send a sample link to is not yet on Faire, they will have the opportunity to not only request samples from you, but also sign up for Faire. There are then two ways a sign up can lead to a Faire Direct relationship:
- Requesting samples via your samples link: When a retailer requests a sample through your samples link, they will be asked to provide their email address and shipping information. After entering this information, they will have the option to create a Faire account and start ordering from you. This sign-up process creates a Faire Direct relationship between you and the retailer.
- Signing up for Faire separately: If a retailer successfully requests a sample through your samples link, but does not sign up for Faire at that time, they can still sign up for Faire later through other channels. If they sign up for Faire organically, using the same email address they provided when requesting samples from you, our system will still identify it as a Faire Direct relationship between you and the retailer.
To learn more, visit What is Faire Direct?
Will I get feedback from retailers on the samples I provide?
Yes! We will prompt retailers to share feedback about the samples they received from you. We trust these insights will be helpful in growing your sales.
How do I ensure no VAT is applied to my samples?
Samples are not subject to VAT. To ensure your shipment is considered a sample, it is important you:
- Clearly label your sample as Sample, not for sale
- Ensure samples are sent in small/reasonable quantities
- Verify samples are not in a form that would allow for them to be onward sold
This will ensure no VAT is applied. Free of charge supplies are usually subject to VAT— it is your responsibility as a brand to ensure clear labelling and quantities follow general sampling guidelines.
Please note, these steps are for guidance purposes only.