Promotion ideas for new tea company

Hi Cameron, I like the look of your site, it’s clean and very professional!

I think the issue with getting people to try is that the barrier to entry is higher than most people will go without having sampled it. Perhaps if you put together a sample package that has a cup or two of each tea, and priced it that way, it would allow people to sample them without paying so much initially? I know for me, I wouldn’t want to spend $32 (at the cheaper end, 4 x $8) without having tried the tea before.

Alternately, there is another company on here that is mailing small samples to people in exchange for reviews of the tea. I think that’s a great idea, low cost for the company and the word of mouth on here is huge. I know I put many teas on my wish list because of the reviews I read from my friends here.

Just some thoughts.

Having a sample pack with free shipping would be nice. I’m always enticed by free shipping. In regards to Steepster I find new teas by seeing other reviews so if you gave a few members free samples with the understanding that they do reviews that could definitely boost your business.

Edited to add: I see Marzipan and I think alike!

Definitely! I know when I am looking at sites and shopping, I always cross reference here and read the reviews before buying.

Another idea is to look on the internet for active tea blogs and see what their policy is for doing reviews. If you can send them some samples and get a write up, that’s a good way to get some attention.

Also, there are some companies that do monthly subscriptions of tea. You might want to look into them to see what it takes to be included in one of the boxes as a way of getting your tea out to potential purchasers.

As Marzipan and Darby mentioned, people may be hesitant to make a larger purchase without sampling first or at least reading reviews on a trusted site. I agree that your site looks attractive and is easy to navigate.

Thank you guys for the feedback.

@Marzipan & Darby
The most difficult point for us is the shipping cost. The shipping cost from Taiwan to America is around $25. We are considering to offer free shipping for first few customers from steepster who will help us to write the review on steepster and our website. Once we’ve decide the numbers of free shippings, We will be posting the promotional code here (the free shipping will be steepster members only :D).

@Katiek
Tea blogger and the monthly subscriptions are good ideas. We will be look into them.

If anyone else have any other suggestions, please let us know.

Perhaps you can find a supplier who will drop-ship for you? $25 shipping cost is a price pretty much nobody on Steepster – or anywhere for that matter, is going to pay. Also, where are the caffeine-free/herbal options? :)

In addition to promotions for early sampling, I might also recommend that you have tea drinkers with tea blogs post some reviews, as the exposure would then spread beyond Steepster.

@ rooibos1986
We realised $25 is very high shipping price, especially when customers only purchasing small quantities. That’s why we offer $10 shipping discount till the end of May and hopefully we will be sending enough shipments so we can re-negotiate our price terms with TNT for a better shipping rates. Also we will be offering free shipping for the first 20 customers that help us to write reviews on steepster and our website.
Regarding on the product line suggestion, we only deal with premium grade Oolong and Black teas from Taiwan.:D

@Spencer
We are actually searching for suitable tea blogger at the moment.

You should consider a fulfillment center. They take a chunk of the profits, but if your margins are sufficient, it should still be doable. Basically, you send a BUNCH of tea in to them. When you get a sale, you tell them where, how much, and of what to ship, and they do all that for you. Much lower shipping rates.