Tryvertising store comes to Shanghai

Last year we wrote about Tokyo’s Sample Lab, where Japanese consumers can sample and test new products. Roughly a year later, a similar concept has come to China with the launch of Shanghai-based Sampleplaza. Sampleplaza is a new showroom featuring brand-new products not yet available to the Chinese mainstream. Membership costs 100 RMB per year, along with a one-time processing fee of 20 RMB, and is open to anyone over 15. In exchange, consumers are invited to visit Sampleplaza as often as they want and test out a diverse range of products, from exercise equipment to pantyhose, cosmetics to high-tech, drinks, BBQ sauce, soup and snacks. In addition to trying out samples in the showroom, members are allowed to take home up to 5 items per visit as well. Either way, they need only fill out an online survey–a maximum of 10 questions per product–for each sample that they test. Products are listed online, so consumers can see what’s available, and while the company’s website is being fleshed out, news and announcements are posted on its offsite blog as well. As we’ve noted before, tryvertising is very popular with today’s ad-immune consumers, many of whom will gladly pay to be among the first to test something new. Who will continue the spread of this concept to other parts of the world….? Spotted by: RK