After sachets opened the floodgates for small trial packs in FMCG, manufacturers realised the potential for growing business through sampling. TryOrTrade, launched by Gaurav Gupta (L) and Rohit Keshan, in March this year, is attempting the same for health, beauty and wellness products in India. “Many potential consumers in tier 2 or tier 3 cities can’t afford to buy full-size packs of natural, organic and herbal products. Also, many of these are made by SMEs, which don’t have big ad and marketing budgets,” says Gupta. TryOrTrade sells regular, small and specially-made sample packs of 20 brands, ranging from popular ones like Himalaya and Biotique, to lesser-known names like Ahmedabad-based Azafran and Nirvaaha in Delhi and Bengaluru. Participating firms pay a monthly fee, or a 50:50 revenue share to list on the website, and some brands give away samples for free. With orders coming from places like Oddanchatram (Tamil Nadu), Silchar (Assam) and Kohima (Nagaland), Gupta and Keshan expect the venture to break even by October. Could this be a sample of things to come?