Why We Love It
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$29,720Potential Avg. Salary
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8.9%Job Growth Rate
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Growing DemandJob Outlook
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Deal MakingCareer Attribute
Product and food demonstrators provide live demonstrations of merchandise and food products to generate purchasing interest. They may prepare and distribute food samples, conduct demonstrations to show product features and functionality, or hand out coupons or other purchasing incentives.
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What is a Product or Food Demonstrator?
The following job responsibilities are common for individuals in product and food distributor roles:
- Set up and break down demonstration areas in different venues
- Prepare food and distribute samples to an audience to generate purchases
- Demonstrate how a product is used and describe its features to a live audience
- Distribute samples, coupons, brochures, and other informational or promotional materials to generate interest and inspire purchases
- Sell products and maintain detailed records of sales
A Day in the Life of a Product or Food Demonstrator
Product and food demonstrators are sales professionals that earn a living by generating interest in a company’s products through live demonstrations. The type of demonstrators that people are most familiar with are those that set up in grocery stores on the weekends and hand out free samples of food. However, product and food demonstrators do much more than just provide snacks to hungry shoppers. They’re responsible for generating interest in and sales of a variety of products, and work in many venues other than grocery stores.
Product and food demonstrators conduct their sales and promote to large audiences. They usually work in shifts of no more than a few hours, but they arrive early and set up their areas. During their shift, they demonstrate products, highlight product features, answer questions, and supply interested individuals with brochures, coupons, or other incentives to purchase the demonstrated product. Like all sales jobs, product demonstrators must have steel nerves, good public speaking skills, and the ability to approach and converse with anyone.
While many product and food demonstrators simply promote their products, some actually sell their products as well. This requires keeping a bank, processing payments, making change, and keeping sales records, in addition to demonstrating food and products. Demonstrators who do not directly sell their products are usually required to utilize another form of determining how many sales resulted from their demonstrations, such as reviewing grocery store sales records at the end of a shift.
Typical Work Schedule for Product or Food Demonstrators
Most product and food demonstrators work part-time hours. Generally, they work evenings and weekends due to the need to appear in venues at high-traffic times.
Typical Employers
Most product and food demonstrators are hired by marketing agencies who contract out their services to businesses who want to increase sales using the demonstration model. However, some retail outlets—including big names like Sam’s Club and Costco—employ their own demonstrators.
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How To Become a Product or Food Demonstrator
No formal higher education is needed to become a product or food demonstrator, and in most cases, a high school diploma is sufficient for securing a job in this role. Training for the position is generally conducted by the employer, so experience is less important than personality. Because product and food demonstrators need to be personable, outgoing, and fearless, employers look for people with the right attitude and are usually willing to train promising applicants who exhibit the traits needed for success.
However, if product and food demonstrations is just a stepping stone for you, you want to have more options in the future, or you want to refine your skillset before stepping into your career in demonstrations, an associate’s or bachelor’s degree in business or marketing can be valuable. These programs will provide education in skills you’ll need for success in sales, such as public speaking, creating marketing materials, and maintaining business records.
With experience as a product or food demonstrator and a degree in business or marketing, it will be easy to move from product and food demonstrator positions to higher-paying roles, if desired, later in life. Some product and food demonstrators move on to work in sales for pharmaceutical companies, and others go into outside sales or sales management positions.
Product or Food Demonstrator Salary Data
We’ve provided you the following to learn more about this career. The salary and growth data on this page comes from recently published Bureau of Labor Statistics data while the recommendations and editorial content are based on our research.
National Anual Salary
Low Range
$21,300Average
$29,720High Range
$47,140National Hourly Wage
Low Range
$10/hrAverage
$14/hrHigh Range
$23/hrHow do Product or Food Demonstrator salaries stack up to other jobs across the country? Based on the latest jobs data nationwide, Product or Food Demonstrator's can make an average annual salary of $29,720, or $14 per hour. This makes it an Above Average Salary. On the lower end, they can make $21,300 or $10 per hour, perhaps when just starting out or based on the state you live in.
Salary Rankings And Facts
#707 Nationally for All Careers
Programs and Degrees
Here are the most common degrees for becoming a Product or Food Demonstrator. a is usually recommended and specifically a degree or coursework that prepares you for the particular field, see below.
Highest Education Among Product or Food Demonstrators
- 0.4% Doctorate
- 2.4% Masters
- 18.4% Bachelors
- 8.8% Associates
- 27.6% College
- 30.7% High School
- 11.7% Less than High School
Job Growth Projections and Forecast
2014 Total Jobs
93,0002024 Est. Jobs
101,300Job Growth Rate
8.9%Est. New Jobs
8,300How does Product or Food Demonstrator job growth stack up to other jobs across the country? By 2024, there will be a change of 8,300 jobs for a total of 101,300 people employed in the career nationwide. This is a 8.9% change in growth over the next ten years, giving the career a growth rate nationwide of Below Average.
Growth Rankings And Facts
#246 Nationally for All Careers
What Companies Employ The Most Product or Food Demonstrators
| Industry | Current Jobs | New Jobs Needed | % Increase |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advertising, public relations, and related services | 29,000 | 1,000 | 1% |
| Wholesale electronic markets and agents and brokers | 14,900 | 3,800 | 4% |
| Self-employed workers | 8,500 | 100 | 0% |
