What Is a Discovery Set, and Why Does It Work?
The biggest obstacle to selling perfume online is obvious: the customer cannot smell it. A discovery set (a trial or sample set) is a product that brings the scents in your collection together in small bottles, and it targets that obstacle directly.
The set is not a free sample; it is a product that is sold. For a low price the customer tries all your scents and orders the one they like in full size. It gains you three things: it lowers the risk in front of the first purchase, it reduces returns, and it shows you through sales data which scent is genuinely loved.
The set has one more benefit: the customer tries the scent on their own skin, in their own day. A scent sprayed on paper in a shop and a scent worn on skin for six hours are not the same thing; the decision is made with the second.
Designing the Set: How Many Scents, How Many Millilitres?
A good set is small and focused. Too many scents make the decision harder; too small a volume is not enough to try the scent.
| Decision | Common options | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| Number of scents | 3, 5 or 8 | 5 scents is balanced for most collections; more than 8 is tiring |
| Bottle volume | 2 ml, 5 ml, 10 ml | 2 ml gives a few trials; 5 ml means a week of use |
| Bottle type | Spray, roll-on, dropper | A spray reflects real use; a dropper is cheapest but gives a weak experience |
| Presentation | Carton box, envelope, pouch | A box creates a gift perception; an envelope lowers shipping cost |
When choosing the scents, show the range of your collection: one fresh, one floral, one woody, one sweet or oriental, and your signature scent. If you include five similar scents, the customer cannot tell them apart and will choose none.
Order matters too. Number the scents from light to heavy and recommend that they be tried in that order; a heavy scent overwhelms the light one that follows it.
Cost and Price: The Set Should Pay for Itself
The purpose of a discovery set is not to make a profit but to be a bridge to full-size sales; but it should not make a loss either.
Break the cost down item by item: small bottle and spray head, the perfume inside, label, box or envelope, scent card, filling labour and shipping. With small bottles, the packaging usually costs more than the liquid inside; the cost of 2 ml of perfume is negligible, while the bottle and labour are the main items.
A common and effective method is to give the price of the set back as a discount on the next purchase. The customer receives a discount voucher equal to what they paid for the set; when they buy a full size, the set is in effect free. This approach both eases the first purchase and encourages the second order. Keep the voucher's validity period reasonable: the customer must be able to take the time to try the scents.
Preparation and Filling: Step by Step
Filling at small volume demands more care than a large bottle.
- Fill from matured product
Fill the set from finished product that has completed maceration and been filtered. The customer should find what they smelled in the set to be the same as what they receive in the large bottle.
- Test the bottle and spray head
Leaking and clogging are more common with small spray heads. Lay filled bottles on their side for a few days and weed out those that leak.
- Fill precisely
Use a pipette, syringe or small-volume filling pump. Use separate tools for each scent, or clean with alcohol in between; cross-contamination of scents defeats the whole purpose of the set.
- Label every bottle
The scent name or number must be on the bottle itself; do not rely on its position in the box. Plan how mandatory label information will be given on a small bottle in line with the legislation.
- Add a scent card
A short description for each scent: family, key notes, the occasion it suits. Put a link or QR code on the card for ordering the full size.
- Pack for shipping
Fix the bottles in place inside the box. Check the courier rules that apply to the transport of alcohol-based products.
The set is also a cosmetic product; product notification and labelling obligations apply to each scent in it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The most common questions when designing a set.
How many scents should a discovery set contain?
How many ml should a sample bottle be?
Is a discovery set profitable?
Does it make sense to give the set price back as a discount?
Which scents should be in the set?
Does a discovery set reduce returns?
How do I give label information on small bottles?
Roll-on or spray?
Should I sell the set on my own site or on a marketplace?
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