You cannot escape being influenced. Everything you see, feel, hear, taste and smell influences you. Both consciously and unconsciously. However, one of the senses is often underestimated. A sense that, according to science, is unexpectedly powerful. We are talking about smell. But what influence does this sense have on influencing people? And more specifically: on influencing consumers? We give you 10 scientifically proven effects:
1. Shoppers rate a store more positively in the presence of a pleasant fragrance (Spangenberg et al.,1996; Bone and Ellen, 1999).
2. A pleasant fragrance leads to a longer shopping stay (Knasko, 1989; Bone and Ellen, 1999).
3. More time is spent on the decision to make a purchase when a fragrance is diffused in a store than when no fragrance is diffused (Mitchell et al., 1995).
4. Consumers are more likely to return to a store when scent is diffused (Spangenberg et al., 1996; Bone and Ellen, 1999).
5. People remember more when there is an odor in a store (Morrin and Ratneshwar, 2003).
6. Consumers are more likely to link to memory when a congruent odor is present (Morrin and Ratneshwar, 2003).
7. A congruent odor leads to positive evaluations (Bone and Jantrania, 1992; Bosmans, 2006) and an incongruent odor leads to negative evaluations (Ellen and Bone, 1998).
8. Consumers remember brands better with odors that trigger high alertness, such as eucalyptus and orange, than with odors that trigger low alertness, such as vanilla and lavender (Morrin and Ratneshwar, 2003).
9. Consumers are willing to pay more for a product when smelling a congruent scent (Fiore et al., 2000).
10.mA citrus scent is more likely to prompt people to clean and keep things clean (Holland et al., 2005).
How do I use scent for my business?
Do you also want to bring about similar effects within your company? Then you can take a few things from the above scientific evidence to apply scent marketing as successfully as possible.
Congruent scents
Spread a congruent scent in your business for a positive effect on the attitude and behavior of your visitors. A fragrance is congruent if it matches your product or service and the image you want to convey.
Unique fragrances
Go for a unique, pleasant scent that will make your visitors tend to stay longer. In the case of a store , for example, this increases the likelihood of purchases. In addition, by having a unique scent, you differentiate your business, giving you a competitive advantage. Your visitors will begin to associate this scent with your company and therefore immediately think of your brand when they smell the scent again.
Low engagement
When applying a scent, it is best to target customers who have low engagement. This is because they rely less on substantive arguments and more on emotion, which is evoked by scent. This low engagement is especially common with everyday consumer goods.
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