The Sampler App

The Sampler App

The Sampler App launched in 2013 after founder Marie Chevrier, then working in digital marketing, recognized that brands lacked a measurable way to turn product samples into customer relationships. Chevrier participated in the Techstars retail accelerator and later raised venture funding from investors including BDC Capital and StandUp Ventures. The company operates at the intersection of ad-tech and logistics, serving enterprise CPG clients that use the platform to run sampling campaigns across social media, email, and affiliate channels. The software manages targeting, fulfilment, and post-sample consumer surveys, giving brands a closed-loop view of trial-to-purchase conversion. Named clients include Unilever, L'Oréal, and PepsiCo, with campaigns running across North America and select European markets. The firm generates revenue through SaaS licensing fees and per-sample fulfilment charges, positioning it as a marketing-technology provider rather than a physical sampling vendor. Chevrier runs a lean Toronto-based operation, though the company has not publicly disclosed headcount or revenue figures. The Sampler App has been recognized in Canadian tech awards including the RBC Canadian Women Entrepreneur Awards. As of mid-2024, the company continues to operate independently, with Chevrier active on the board of the DMZ startup incubator at Toronto Metropolitan University. The firm added integrations with major e-commerce platforms to close the loop between sample request and online purchase. Structurally, The Sampler App differs from conventional sampling agencies by owning the digital infrastructure layer rather than the physical distribution assets. Third-party logistics partners handle warehousing and shipping, letting the firm scale campaign volume without capital-intensive fulfilment centres. Chevrier has publicly positioned the company as a data business that happens to ship boxes, framing product samples as a consumer research instrument that generates actionable segmentation data for brand marketers — a posture that separates it from promotional merchandise companies.