LAUSR

Product sampling in the retail chains relates to marketing, it makes part of the in-store marketing, and it is one of the sale promotion tools. It used to promote the sales of non-durable products, i.e. food. The paper aimed to find out how it is perceived by customers of retail chains (consumers) in Slovakia. An essential aspect of the sampling effectiveness was verified, namely the addressing of potential customers by the promoters. The article focused on ethical practices during the samplings. The subject of interest was to confirm whether promoters keep basic ethical and moral principles. The repeated request for sampling was one of the points. The vital aspect of the sampling ethics was also considered as well as the truthfulness of customer responses to promoter questions about the taste of the product. The sampling ethics was judged from both viewpoints of the sampling participants. The questionnaire survey was carried out to meet the goal, and the sampling participants were addressed. The online questionnaire method was applied, in which 484 respondents were directed. The survey results have shown that customers perceive samplings positively. Sampling has found its application in Slovakia, and it is a relatively accessible tool for promotion of sales (also from the viewpoint of producers). The promoter is the major contributor to the number of participating customers. The main aspects influencing the level of sampling ethics are the age and gender of the customers. It is believed that at any time, it is appropriate to verify the ethics of one of the sales promotion tools – sampling, and at the same time to find out how customers perceive it. The paper contributes to the area of in-store marketing. It brings findings focused on the popularity of the sampling in practice, purchasing habits of the customers, and at the same time, it opens a space for further improvements. Keywords sampling, sampling perception, sampling ethics, customers, promoters.