Scents and Dollars: Using Scent Marketing to Increase Retail Sales
The next time you walk into any place, whether it’s someone’s home or business, take note of the scent.
What does the air smell like? How does that scent make you feel?
Suppose you walk into your friend’s home, and it smells like fresh-baked cookies. If you love cookies, you’ll be overjoyed to encounter that scent. Likewise, you would expect the same experience (and more) from a local bakery.
Scents activate memories that encourage people to engage (and buy) more.
Follow these tips to incorporate scent marketing into your current retail strategy.
How to Choose the Proper Scents for Your Customers
Scents turn away customers just as quickly as they draw them in. Just imagine what would happen if your bakery suddenly smelled like sewage!
Scents matter, so it’s essential to test plenty of aromas before letting them loose into the atmosphere. Once you hone in on the perfect scent, fill an AromaTech diffuser with custom oil to fill the room. Many commercial diffusers hold up to two gallons of oil.
Again, think about what you expect a business to smell like. Retail presents an exciting challenge since big box stores sell many different items, from garden supplies to apparel. Thus, you need a strategy (and equipment) that disperses various aromas into other areas.
You can also see (or smell) for yourself. Walk through a major department store and notice how aromas change from department to department. You may notice softer, sweeter scents in the lingerie area or fresher, pine-based scents in the garden department.
Many stores also use scents that appeal to broad general audiences, like fresh linen, light lemon, and other spring-related scents. There are also studies revealing the aromatic power of fresh-cut grass!
Perform market research for your scent marketing just like you would for social media or PPC campaigns. Analyze sales data to determine top demographics for departments and test scents with representative focus groups to discover the most engaging aroma.
Customize Your Own Scent Marketing
You’re not limited to what’s on the market. Find a partner who can help you develop your own custom scents!
Scent marketing isn’t just about engaging customers through aroma. That same aroma is also a part of your brand identity. This identity encompasses every brand essential, from logo design to color schemes.
Victoria’s Secret is an excellent example of this strategy. The lingerie brand also sells a line of custom perfumes, creating an immersive experience for customers. Any designer retail store has an advantage since designers like Tom Ford, Chanel, Dolce & Gabbana, and more make many famous perfumes.
Spa retail stores also benefit from scent marketing.
Customers expect fresh fragrances but not overly perfumy aromas that you would smell at the Chanel counter. Custom scents are beneficial here since you’re not selling them as perfumes, but you still need an immersive experience that hooks (and relaxes) clients.
Put Your Signature Scent to Work
Your brand has everything except the perfect aroma to match. Follow this guide as you craft your first scent marketing campaign. You could even bottle your trademark scent!
The blog is also booming with ideas for creative readers like yourself.