我身為一位常逛各式展覽的社會觀察家，最喜歡碰到的活動之一，就是試吃活動，試吃是食品行銷中常見的體驗行銷手段，店家的目的是透過「先嚐後買」降低消費者購買風險，提高消費者購買意願。
不過，前一陣子的疫情期間，因為病毒強大的傳染力，所以的試吃行為一律被禁止，當然，那時候百業蕭條，不少知名廠商都面臨倒閉或暫停營業的挑戰，然而，這幾年，已經回復以往的生活了，所以，試吃行為又出現在各個場合，如賣場、百貨商場或專櫃食品區等。
食品展上的試吃產品，更是五花八門，各式攤位整齊排列，從傳統小吃到創新料理，從在地農產品到異國風味，每一個角落都散發著誘人的香氣，店員熱情地提供各式試吃品給過往的消費者，當我路過一家麵食廠商，順手拿了一小盤麵線，沒有吸附醬汁的麵線，可以體驗出麵體口感，我在經過一家賣茶的店家，發現店家讓消費者體驗各式奶茶，還可以自行添加珍珠來增添奶茶的層次感，真是體驗滿滿，在經過一家賣蘿蔔糕的攤位時，店員熱情地切下一塊遞給我，煎的外酥內嫩的蘿蔔糕，令人食指大動啊！逛了一圈，我就被餵的半飽了。
店家對於試吃活動，不只是單純的促銷手段，更希望將理念、品質與用心傳遞給消費者，不過，我也曾在試吃活動上，遇到熱情的店家，強迫推銷產品，明明跟店員表明沒有購買的意願，但是店員有點用情緒勒索的手段，半強迫地推銷商品，這也是某些人對於試吃活動，敬而遠之的原因之一。
As someone who often visits all kinds of exhibitions and likes to observe society, one of my favorite things to run into is sampling events. Free tasting is a really common experiential marketing strategy in the food industry. The idea is simple: “try before you buy”. It helps reduce the risk for consumers and makes people more willing to actually purchase the product.
But during the pandemic a while back, because of how contagious the virus was, all sampling activities were completely banned. At that time, many industries were struggling, and quite a few well-known brands were facing shutdowns or temporary closures. Thankfully, over the past few years, life has gradually returned to normal, and now sampling events are back everywhere, like in supermarkets, department stores, and food counters.
At food expos, the variety of samples is honestly amazing. Booths are lined up neatly, offering everything from traditional snacks to creative fusion dishes, from local agricultural products to international flavors. Every corner smells incredibly tempting. Staff at each booth enthusiastically hand out samples to passersby. When I walked past a noodle booth, I casually picked up a small plate of plain vermicelli. Since it didn’t have any sauce on it, I could really focus on the texture of the noodles themselves. Then I stopped by a tea shop, where they let customers try different kinds of milk tea. You could even add your own tapioca pearls, which made the whole experience more interactive and fun. Later, I passed a booth selling radish cake, and the staff warmly handed me a freshly cut piece. It was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside—seriously mouthwatering. After walking around for a while, I realized I was already half full just from all the samples.
For businesses, sampling isn’t just about promotion. It’s also a way to communicate their brand values, quality, and dedication directly to customers. That said, not every experience is perfect. I’ve also encountered overly aggressive vendors who try to pressure you into buying something. Even after clearly saying I wasn’t interested, they kept pushing, sometimes even using a bit of emotional pressure. Experiences like that are actually one of the reasons why some people feel uncomfortable with sampling events.