E-commerce
July 1, 2026
"Which sample should I choose for dry skin?" "Sample code refused at checkout." "Order received without the promised mini." Three tickets where a poorly explained sample offer generates shopping cart abandonment, negative reviews, and missing item disputes.
The e-commerce free sample support covers eligibility, mini choice, stock, limit per customer, and missing sample in the package. Distinct from the paid trial kit (#537) and starter kit: here, mini free conditions and availability.
This guide #535 covers policy SAMP-SUP, flows FS-1 to FS-8, and the SAMP-MAP matrix. New sample content. Customer service pair of the future SAMP bot (#536).
Summary
Why do free samples generate tickets?
The customer sees "free sample" on the homepage. At checkout, the conditions are unclear or the stock is depleted. Without a SOP, the agent promises an unavailable mini or ignores the limit of one per customer.
Five typical friction points
Unclear eligibility: minimum cart value for new customers is not visible
Impossible choice: list of samples is OOS with no alternative
Sample code fail: sample promo expired or combining them is forbidden
Missing sample: package received without the promised mini
Recommendation: which sample for skin/hair profile
Shopify allows line item samples via discount or bundle apps (Shopify, Discounts 2026). Without SAMP-MAP per sample SKU, each ticket starts from scratch.
SAMP #535 vs starter kit, trial kit #537, GWP and out of stock #106
Five pieces of content, five product acquisition layers.
Quick Matrix
#535 SAMP: free mini stock missing conditions
Starter kit: paid discovery kit trial credit
#537 TRIALKIT: physical trial kit conversion return
Guided selling: pre-purchase SKU recommendation
#106 OOS: main product out of stock PDP
Starter kit = paid purchase with credit. #535 = free mini GWP or cart select. #537 = structured trial kit return refund.
Which samp_* typologies should be classified?
Eight free sample ticket scenarios.
Eight sample typologies
samp_eligibility: am I eligible cart conditions
samp_which_choose: which sample to choose profile
samp_not_received: mini missing from received package
samp_out_of_stock: sample unavailable at checkout
samp_code_fail: sample code rejected
samp_limit_reached: already received limit once
samp_conditions: minimum purchase new customer explain
samp_auto_add: sample auto-added or manual selection
Tags: samp, pre_purchase, post_purchase. Lookup SAMP-MAP + Shopify inventory + order line items.
How to structure the CHAMP-MAP matrix?
The SAMP-MAP matrix documents eligibility rules and stock by sample for agents and the future bot #536.
SAMP-MAP Columns
sample_sku: free mini variant ID
eligibility_min_cart_eur: minimum cart threshold
eligibility_new_customer: Y/N first order only
max_per_customer: lifetime or rolling 12-month limit
auto_add_vs_select: auto cart or PDP picker
replacement_sample_sku: alt if primary is OOS
conditions_copy_fr: exact FR conditions text
stock_alert_threshold: ops alert qty for replenishment
missing_sample_policy: reship replace refund line
One line per active sample. Sync with homepage banner and checkout copy.
SAMP-SUP policy in six rules
Six rules supporting free samples.
SAMP-MAP-GROUNDED: stock conditions from map only
NO-SAMPLE-PROMISE: never sample without stock qty > 0
ELIGIBILITY-CITE: conditions_copy_fr exact citation
ONE-PER-CUSTOMER: max_per_customer enforce explain
MISSING-RESOLVE: samp_not_received reship or replace
STARTER-REROUTE: paid kit → starter kit playbook
SAMP Flow FS-1 to FS-8
Flow agent eight steps free samples.
FS-1 Intake: samp_* intent + pre- or post-purchase
FS-2 Lookup: cart order customer history inventory
FS-3 SAMP-MAP: eligibility replacement conditions
FS-4 Classify: eligibility missing OOS code limit
FS-5 Stock check: qty sample + replacement if OOS
FS-6 Respond: macro SAMP grounded conditions
FS-7 Resolve: reship code alt sample ops ticket
FS-8 Close: tag samp_resolved outcome
SLA: samp_eligibility answered in a single interaction with ELIGIBILITY-CITE and picker link if select.
Essential SAMP macros
Four macro agents.
SAMP-ELIG-01
"Sample [sample_name]: [conditions_copy_fr]. Current cart [cart_total] €. Choice: [picker_url] or auto-added if eligible."
SAMP-OOS-01
"[sample_name] temporarily out of stock. Alternative: [replacement_sample_sku]. Restock notification: [back_in_stock_url]."
SAMP-MISSING-01
"Sample missing from order #[order_id]. Shipping [replacement_sample_sku] within 48 hours or [gesture_amount] credit according to policy."
SAMP-LIMIT-01
"Limit of [max_per_customer] sample per customer reached. Discovery offer: starter kit or -10% code for your next purchase."
Edge cases: GWP, international, and reaction
Five cases outside the standard macro.
GWP basket threshold: recalc cart_total vs eligibility_min
Skin reaction sample: stop usage, do not resend same SKU
International: sample SKU blocked shipping zone
Confused bundle: STARTER-REROUTE if paid kit
Commercial gesture: GESTE-PROD-01 sample next order
Do not confuse free marketing sample and paid mini in starter kit: distinct samp vs starter tags.
Essential SAMP KPIs
Five SAMP steering metrics.
samp_ticket_rate : samp tickets / orders with sample offer
samp_explain_success : % eligibility resolved one interaction
samp_missing_rate : samp_not_received / fulfilled with sample
samp_oos_checkout_rate : abandon sample OOS checkout
samp_to_full_size : conversion sample recipient 30 days
Target: samp_explain_success > 80 % after visible PDP conditions and live stock picker.
SAMP anti-patterns
Five common mistakes.
Promising out-of-stock sample: NO-SAMPLE-PROMISE violation
Vague conditions: ELIGIBILITY-CITE mandatory
Ignoring customer limit: ONE-PER-CUSTOMER
Missing without action: MISSING-RESOLVE reship
Confusing trial kit #537: distinct paid kit
SAMP with Qstomy
Qstomy on Shopify: detect samp_* intent, SAMP-MAP lookup, inventory gate, sample picker widget, handoff #536 bot tier 1 recommend.
Pipeline: #535 agents missing resolve → #536 bot recommend tier 1 → guided selling #150 profile match.
Explore AI support and request a demo.
Checklist, FAQ and going further
SAMP Checklist (8 steps)
SAMP-MAP v1: samples eligibility replacement missing
SAMP-SUP Policy: 6 NO-SAMPLE-PROMISE rules
8 samp_* typologies: helpdesk tags samp pre_achat
4 SAMP-* macros: ELIG OOS MISSING LIMIT
Picker PDP live stock: auto replacement if OOS
Checkout conditions copy: aligned with conditions_copy_fr
SAMP vs Starter 20 min training: STARTER-REROUTE
KPI Dashboard: samp_* section 9
FAQ
Difference starter kit?
Starter = paid kit with credit. #535 = free mini with basket conditions.
Difference trial kit #537?
Trial kit = structured trial with return. #535 = free marketing sample.
Sample missing from parcel?
SAMP-MISSING-01 reship or gesture according to missing_sample_policy.
Is Bot #536 enough?
Tier 1 recommends eligibility. Missing ops → agents #535.
Go further
This week: document SAMP-MAP by sample SKU, test picker live stock checkout, macro SAMP-MISSING-01 reship workflow, measure samp_explain_success.
Enzo
July 1, 2026
