The Psychological Effects of Scent on Consumer Purchasing Decisions

Can you think of a time when the inviting smell wafting out of a store drew you in for an unplanned visit? And once you were there, did you stay longer than you planned and buy a few things spontaneously? That’s an example of the powerful connection between scent and purchasing behavior.

Every year, we learn more about the connections between scent and emotions and the human brain. That’s why scent psychology in marketing is one of the most exciting new frontiers in advertising. Numerous studies have documented the strong connection between scent and our moods and memories. Science has shown that certain scents prompt specific responses, altering how we feel and act.

Modern life is full of examples, including movie theaters pumping out the smell of popcorn and coffee shops cranking out their instantly recognizable aroma. With popcorn and coffee, though, the scents are a direct result of the products they sell. That gives these businesses an advantage when it comes to scent marketing.

But business is about adapting, and these days, more companies whose products don’t naturally produce a smell are incorporating scent into their marketing strategies. Retail stores are ideal examples of spaces that benefit from the connection between scent and purchasing behavior. Office buildings and healthcare facilities, too, can help promote a sense of calm and well-being through the careful use of fragrance oils deployed by scent diffusers, an increasingly popular method for scenting spaces to shape mood and enhance well-being.

In today’s marketing landscape, creating the most effective plan requires some understanding of scent and decision-making. Not only how they are related, but how scent can be used to guide purchasing decisions.

Take real estate, for example. Agents say that at an “open house,” they’re focused on selling the property’s strengths. They want potential buyers to see the property as less “house” and more “home.” Tapping into the influence of fragrance on shopping, one trick they use to make the house more welcoming is putting a bowl with some vanilla essence in the oven. As the bowl heats during the open house, visitors tend to be more likely to relax and linger longer.

Studies show that scent and impulse buying are intertwined. Dunkin Donuts, the popular coffee and donuts retailer, wanted to explore this connection, so they measured sales during a limited-time experiment in which they pumped a new, custom scent into their stores. The results indicated that while the scent was in use, store traffic increased by 16%, and coffee sales increased by 29%! [SOURCE]

Athletic giant Nike is known for pushing boundaries, and their marketing follows suit. As they try to win customers over, they leave no stone unturned…or unscented, as the case may be. A scientific study they commissioned showed that on 84% of the subjects tested, incorporating scent was viewed as a positive. They were even able to show that, in scented settings, customers were willing to pay 10% to 20% more for the products they wanted. [SOURCE]

How Scent Encourages Longer Dwell Times

A pleasantly scented store encourages customers to stay longer. Introducing scent has been shown to increase dwell time by 15 minutes or more. The longer they linger, the more likely they are to find something to buy…and enjoy themselves along the way.

Recently, the Galeries Lafayette—one of the most distinguished and influential shopping centers in Paris—conducted a study that showed when an area was not scented, shoppers could tell fairly accurately how long they’d been in a certain store. Once scent was added, however, shoppers tended to significantly underestimate the amount of time they’d been in the store. When surveyed, they believed they’d been in the store for 25 minutes when the actual time was closer to an hour. [SOURCE]

The power of scent marketing isn’t limited to places that focus on soft goods like clothing and perfumes. Electronics pioneer Samsung commissioned a study that showed that when shoppers browsed Samsung stores with themed scents, they visited triple the number of product categories and underestimated how long they’d been shopping by 26%. [SOURCE]

The takeaway is that when customers feel comfortable, they stay longer and look at more products. Extending dwell time makes them more likely to indulge themselves and make a purchase. That’s a powerful incentive for companies to work scent into their marketing strategy.

Scent’s Impact on Impulse Purchases

When you buy something on a whim, you’re engaging in an impulse purchase. Psychologically, this kind of spending—sometimes called “retail therapy”—is heavily influenced by emotions. It feels good to find and examine a product, have an urge to buy it (an urge cultivated by strategic branding), and give in to that desire.

Social media and modern e-commerce are trying their best to satisfy our insatiable desire for more stuff NOW! However, retailers have an advantage in impulse buying because they can engage customers on levels the web cannot—like scent. And because scent is the sense most closely tied to the limbic system, which controls mood and emotion, it might just be the most powerful tool in a retail marketer’s toolbox.

Creating a Sensory Connection Through Scent

Branding is all about making connections, and scent is arguably the best way to do so. Certain smells’ ability to trigger vivid memories from childhood shows how powerful aromas can affect our brains. Aromas can also work on a more subtle level.

In retail spaces large and small, brands are leveraging scent’s direct pathway to our limbic system to attract more customers. With just the right scent in the background, subconsciously easing their stress and lifting their spirits, brands make connections by making customers comfortable. Once they’re comfortable, their loyalty begins to build, leading customers to recognize the brand and be predisposed to a reunion.

Scent as a Silent Salesperson

The combination of all these factors makes scent even more powerful. Properly deployed, scent works as a type of silent salesperson to “sell” your business and guide customer behavior. From open to close, without complaint, it’s always working quietly in the background to improve your bottom line, encouraging customers to come in more often and spend more time—and money—at your business.

Scent branding is a hot topic in today’s retail world. Traditionally, companies have relied heavily on the visuals to draw you in. Audio, too. Scent is the next frontier in bespoke branding, and companies that create a tailored scent experience for their customers have an advantage over brands that don’t bother. Leveraging the power of scent to help your brand stand out is an important step toward maximizing brand recognition and instilling brand loyalty.

Are you ready to incorporate scent into your marketing strategy? It’s becoming more common for new and established brands to work with a perfumer who understands the science of scent. Such fragrance houses attempt to capture the essence of the brand’s identity, fine-tuning the smell with brand decision-makers until it aligns with their vision.

Every year, scientific research teaches us more about how closely scents and our emotions are connected. Scent branding is real and powerful, and as numerous studies have documented, it can influence how customers feel and what decisions they make.

For companies looking to incorporate fragrance to spur business growth, it’s important to understand scent psychology. And for brands that dig in and examine the multiplicity of scent marketing benefits, it’s clear that our noses point the way. To greater customer engagement. To better brand recognition. Ultimately, this will lead to more sales, either through impulse buys or calculated brand loyalty.