DR Look Boutique finds success in sampling

The key to smelling success in the fragrance category is to unlock the segment — literally. Yet, finding ways to successfully enhance the shopping experience through sampling always has been a bit tricky for mass market retailers. The answer, however, may just lie within the upscale beauty department at Duane Reade’s flagship store at 40 Wall St. in New York City.


In Duane Reade’s Look Boutique at 40 Wall St., shoppers will find a fragrance tester that enables both men and women to try before they buy. How it works: Shoppers place their wrist beneath the nozzle for a spritz of the fragrance they want to test. This type of tester not only enables shoppers to actually smell the fragrance on their skin — versus on, say, a strip of paper — but also eliminates the threat of shrinkage. Above the nozzle sits a bottle of that respective fragrance so consumers can see it; however, the bottles are secured in a glass case. 


A recent study from Total Beauty Media Group, a digital publisher of beauty and health content, found that 59% of the more than 480 female respondents said that scent samples and in-store trials were the most influential factors in their buying decisions.