Sampler Acquires Abeo to Expand Sampling Platform in Beauty Industry

Sampler has acquired Abeo to expand into the global beauty industry.

The acquisition adds Abeo’s beauty industry-focused digital sampling agency to Sampler’s omnichannel product sampling platform, the companies said in a Tuesday (April 11) press release.

“The beauty industry was an early adopter of digital product sampling, and we have continued to see innovation, new use cases and opportunities pop up in the category in recent years,” Sampler CEO and founder Marie Chevrier said in the release. “Through this acquisition and ongoing partnership, the combined entity will uniquely position Sampler as the global leader in omnichannel product sampling.”

Product sampling helps beauty brands and retailers bridge the gap between the digital and physical worlds and allows shoppers to make better decisions, Alice Chang, founder and CEO of beauty tech platform Perfect Corp. said when partnering with online product sampling platform SoPost in January 2022.

“Consumers continue to turn to product sampling as a means for making more confident purchase decisions,” Chang said at the time.

Samples are also deployed in other sectors, such as grocery stores, and can be a powerful way to improve the in-store experience for shoppers, build loyalty and differentiate a brand in the face of much competition.

For example, Sampler provides its sampling solutions to 1,000 brands in 23 countries and in product categories that include food, beverages and vitamins, according to the press release.

As part of Sampler’s acquisition of Abeo, Arcade Beauty — which founded Abeo in 2019 — will receive a minority stake in Sampler and will partner with that firm to offer solutions for promotional activities to companies, the release said.

Arcade Beauty will maintain its focus on developing and manufacturing sampling and retail solutions for companies in the beauty and wellness sectors, per the release.

“While we will maintain our legacy as the product innovator for our valued customers, we recognize Abeo’s journey is best suited with a partner that carries our same vision and brings added expertise in digital sampling,” Arcade Beauty Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Jorge Garcia said in the release. “Equally, we are excited to enter into a new partnership with Sampler to deliver unique value propositions to our brand partners serving end-to-end sampling solutions.”

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