Product
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20%
Avg. repurchase rate
€0.99
Avg. CPL
15.5%
Avg. review rate
36.4%
Avg. CRM opt-in rate
Estée Lauder Companies unlock trial-driven growth across three brands
Estée Lauder Companies (ELC) is one of the world's largest beauty conglomerates, operating 20+ luxury and prestige brands sold in more than 150 countries. The company owns household names like Estée Lauder (anti-ageing skincare), Dr. Jart+ (Korean dermatological treatments), and Darphin (French botanical luxury skincare). With annual revenues of $15.61 billion (fiscal 2024), they're known for products that command higher price points and customer loyalty.
By early 2025, these three brands were hitting the same wall that plagues many established beauty companies. Their customer databases were mature, repeat purchase rates were plateauing, and acquisition costs through traditional channels were climbing. New entrants were outpacing them on trial and trust, especially among younger shoppers.
The brands (Estée Lauder, Dr. Jart+, Darphin) were talking to the same customers. They needed fresh faces and hard proof that new people would actually buy their products after trying them. Previous campaigns lacked insight into conversion, CRM growth quality and segment-level impact.
Key challenges were:
- Mass distribution to unqualified audiences wasting samples on people who'd never buy premium skincare
- No real-time campaign insights, meaning ineffective campaigns ran for weeks without adjustments
- No connection between sampling and actual retail purchases
- GDPR compliance gaps for German market requirements
- No clear pathway from trial to purchase through retail partners like Douglas
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The solution
Sampl deployed a 4-step trial framework designed to turn sampling into measurable new customer acquisition:
1. Target new high-fit customers
SamplMatch targeting based on specific skin concerns (anti-ageing, redness), age demographics, and premium spending habits across three campaigns in Germany (March-April 2025).
2. Suppress existing CRM & engagers
Smart filtering excluded existing customers, website visitors, and past engagers to focus purely on net-new acquisition opportunities.
3. Capture first-party data and reviews
GDPR-compliant double opt-in processes collected qualified leads while generating authentic product reviews for social proof and retail negotiations.
4. Drive purchase intent without promotions
Email journeys drove traffic directly to retail partners (Douglas, Flaconi) where customers actually shop, with real-time optimisation prioritising high-performing audience segments.
The campaigns
ELC activated three distinct sampling campaigns using the same strategic framework.
Here’s how each brand approached it.
Darphin: prestige anti-ageing for women 25+
Darphin promoted its new €100 Éclat Sublime Rejuvenating Repair Cream, targeting women aged 25 and over interested in anti-ageing skincare. The objective was to launch this new barrier-repair product with high-quality reviews, rich CRM data and early purchase intent signals.
- Targeting: SamplMatch filtered for skincare consumers in Germany, primarily women aged 25+ who said anti-ageing was important to them. The campaign focused on major cities with higher purchasing power.
- Sample format: Premium mailer with product and printed insert
- Retail channel: Flaconi
- Results:
- 1,095 approved opt-ins
- 488 reviews
- 16.3% review rate
- 83% purchase intent
- 13.8% confirmed repurchase
- Cost per lead: €0.84
“€0.84 is a good rate, especially compared to typical lead ad costs in Germany.” — Sarah Sommer, The Estée Lauder Companies
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Dr. Jart+: redness solution for Gen Z
Dr. Jart+ ran a concern-led campaign for its Cicapair Tiger Grass Colour Correcting Treatment. It focused on Gen Z and millennial women with redness or irritation, aiming to drive new customer acquisition without incentives.
- Targeting: Women 18 to 34 filtered by rosacea or redness concern
- Sample format: Deluxe treatment pot with follow-up comms
- Retail channel: Douglas
- Results:
- 646 approved opt-ins
- 269 reviews
- 13.45% review rate
- 55.8% total purchase intent
- 20.9% confirmed repurchase
- Cost per lead: €0.56
“We were positively surprised by the review rate. The insights and structure were great for internal planning.” — Käthe Schulz, The Estée Lauder Companies
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Estée Lauder: hero product activation for 40 to 65s
Estée Lauder activated its Revitalizing Supreme+ Night Cream, targeting women aged 40 to 65. The goal was to engage a high-value demographic and demonstrate direct impact on DTC sales and share.
- Targeting: Women aged 40 to 65 filtered by an interest in anti-ageing products and skin hydration needs
- Sample format: Prestige jar and leaflet, premium packaging
- Retail channel: Estée Lauder DTC
- Results:
- 1,744 approved opt-ins
- 315 reviews
- 16.8% review rate
- 91% purchase intent
- 26% confirmed repurchase
- Cost per lead: €1.56
- Confirmed market share growth post-campaign
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Key takeaways
What worked:
- Excluding existing customers to focus on pure acquisition delivered higher engagement than warm audiences
- Targeting specific skin concerns (combination skin customers were particularly valuable for premium products)
- Real-time campaign optimisation significantly improved performance
- Retail-aligned follow-up converted better than direct-to-consumer approaches.
What this proved
Each campaign delivered on distinct brand objectives, but together they validated a performance framework that scales across audiences, product tiers and retail channels.
One model works across brands
Sampl delivered consistent outcomes across all three campaigns, proving that a single sampling system can flex by audience, price point and channel.
Conversion doesn’t require discounting
None of the campaigns used incentives. Review prompts, product education and relevant targeting were enough to drive repurchase.
Trial drives share, not just sentiment
Estée Lauder saw a measurable market share lift following its campaign , directly linked to CRM growth, trial and confirmed repurchase.
First party data fuels future growth
Each brand gained CRM and review insight that informed segmentation, messaging and audience planning across future campaigns.
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What these three campaigns proved is that even €100 creams convert, if you get them into the right hands. Getting 2,000 qualified people to try your product drives more sales and market share than sending samples to 20,000 random consumers.
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Want results like Estée Lauder? Let’s talk about turning your next campaign into a measurable growth channel.
If you want to acquire new customers, generate authentic reviews, and drive confirmed market share increases like Estée Lauder Companies, book a demo to talk to our team now.
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