Product
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24%
review response rate
88%
purchase intent rate
65%
CRM opt-in rate
€2.09
cost per lead
About
Royal Canin is a globally recognised leader in pet nutrition, specialising in tailored diets for dogs and cats. With decades of research into the specific nutritional needs of pets, the brand is dedicated to improving the health and well-being of pets worldwide. Their science-backed approach focuses on creating precise and effective solutions for pets of all ages, breeds, and lifestyles.
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Challenge
Reaching new pet parents directly
Royal Canin’s existing sampling model relied on breeders, vets, and retailers to find new pet owners. While this built brand affinity, it didn’t provide visibility into who was receiving the samples, how they engaged with the brand afterwards, or what drove purchases. Distribution was also fragmented, making it difficult to ensure a consistent, premium experience across markets.
They wanted to:
- Build a qualified CRM database of high-intent new pet owners
- Drive product trial and track conversion from sample to purchase
- Capture actionable feedback to inform marketing and product strategy
- Reduce waste and improve fulfilment speed while meeting strict food safety standards
To scale their efforts across Europe, Royal Canin needed a solution that combined personalisation, efficiency, and measurable results.
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Solution
Engaging new pet owners and driving purchase intent
Royal Canin partnered with Sampl to take a direct-to-consumer approach. Using SamplMatch, they pre-qualified participants, ensuring only first-time kitten and puppy owners received samples. This precision targeting eliminated waste and maximised relevance.
The campaign also captured rich first-party data, including pet name, breed, and age, which was integrated into Royal Canin’s CRM for personalised follow-ups. To expand reach, digital ads on Meta, Google, and Pinterest engaged pet owners, while discount vouchers encouraged trial purchases and provided a clear way to track conversions.
How the strategy worked:
- Reaching the right pet owners – only verified first-time puppy and kitten owners received samples, ensuring relevance and eliminating waste.
- Rich first-party data capture - including pet name, breed, and age for personalised onboarding
- Multi-channel reach - Meta, Google, and Pinterest ads drove traffic to a co-branded landing page
- Incentivised trial -each eco-friendly kit included a discount voucher to encourage purchase and track sales
- Real-time optimisation - live dashboards allowed instant media reallocation and quick fixes for any data validation issues
Every touchpoint, from personalised emails to sustainable packaging, was designed to create a premium, trust-building experience.
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Results
The campaign outperformed targets across every metric:
- 65% CRM opt-in rate (target: 49%)
- 88% purchase intent rate (target: 72%)
- 24% review response rate (target: 10%)
- €2.09 cost per lead, significantly lower than historical averages
Operationally, Royal Canin launched 40% faster than previous campaigns and reduced customer service queries through proactive updates. Sample waste was minimised, aligning with sustainability goals.
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Key insights for pet brands
This campaign shows how precision sampling can be a high-performing lead generation tool, not just a brand awareness tactic. By reaching the right audience with the right message at the right moment, and building the infrastructure to track and act on the data, brands can achieve both immediate sales impact and lasting customer relationships.
Following its success, Royal Canin has expanded this approach into new markets, with more campaigns planned across Europe.
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