Sales-promoting effect of scent marketing
Countless studies and field reports underpin the sales-promoting effect of certain room fragrances.
Internal study results:
HEM: 30 % increase in coffee sales
Shell D and HU: 30-45 % increase in coffee sales
Selgros: 110 % increase in orange sales thanks to “Orange-Brazil” room fragrance
Ferrero: 90 % increase in Nutella sales thanks to “Chocolat” room fragrance
National studies
The study by the University of Paderborn came to astonishing results: Scent marketing can cause impulse purchases in retail stores (the study was conducted in a sports store), which increases your sales. A pleasant room fragrance also increases your customers' willingness to buy. And finally, customers and potential customers stay longer on site, as the time spent in the salesroom can be significantly increased by scent marketing.
+6% of impulse purchases increased sales in the test phase
+14.8% the pleasant room fragrance increased the willingness to buy
+15.9% increased the time customers spent in the salesroom
Consumption & Behavior Research Group at the UNI Paderborn, Prof. Dr. Anja Stöhr
International studies:
In the course of a renowned study, various areas of a casino were scented over a longer period of time, with an unscented area serving as a control variable. As a result of the room scenting, the slot machine yields were increased by around 45%.
Hirsch, A., 1995. effects of ambient odors on slot-machine usage in a las vegas casino
In a well-known study by the International Journal of Marketing Studies, over 400 visitors to a Nike store were asked about the effect of the room scenting used. The results show that a pleasant room fragrance significantly improves the evaluation of the store environment, products and quality.
International Journal of Marketing Studies; Vol. 6, No. 1; 2014. The Effect of Ambient Scents on Consumer Responses: ConsumerType and His Accompaniment State as Moderating Variables.
Processing and activation of olfactory stimuli
A study by the Sense of Smell Institute shows that visual memory performance drops to around 50% after just three months, but people can still remember odors with 65% accuracy after a whole year. Similarly, a study conducted at Rockefeller University shows that we can only remember 1-2% of what we touch or hear in the short term, but can store and recall up to 35% of olfactory stimuli in the short term.
Warrenburg, S., 2005 Effects Of Fragrance On Emotions: Moods And Physiology.
Conclusion: Scent marketing works
1) Scent marketing increases brand awareness
Scent marketing is a key marketing tool for strengthening and consolidating brand awareness. Fragrances evoke memories and trigger emotions. Due to its close connection to the limbic system, the sense of smell is the most immediate of our sensory stimuli; no other sensory impression is processed more quickly and stores so many experiences permanently together with an emotional connection.
For this reason, scent marketing is an important lever for improving the customer experience: in the customer's limbic system, room scents are unconsciously, immediately and permanently stored together with a brand or product. If the scent perception and buying experience are positively congruent with each other, a lasting and stable link between the two stimuli is created.
The aim of a brand scent should therefore be to anchor it permanently in the memory of customers and guests. Visual memories fade by 60 % after one year, while the olfactory memory of a fragrance only decreases by around 40 %.
2) Scent marketing improves the ambience of the room and extends the length of stay
Scent marketers know that the very first impression a guest perceives in a hotel is decisive. In addition to the visual stimuli, the individually perceived scent is the first key stimulus when entering the hotel door. For this reason, professional room scenting should be seen as an integral strategy for your own positioning.
Countless studies underpin the contribution of scent marketing as an important customer loyalty measure. Consumers who identify with the characteristic scent of a stationary store (even without being aware of it) spend more time lingering and browsing in the showrooms and sales rooms. Room fragrances can also convey a warm, familiar and pleasant feeling, like a cozy fire on a cold winter's day.
One of the reasons for this is the so-called Madeleine effect. This psychological effect describes the phenomenon of the human sense of smell, which evokes seemingly long-faded memories from the past with just a single scent and makes them seem alive.
3) Scent marketing increases sales
It is well known that most coffee machines are not (or no longer) capable of emitting enticing smells. Especially as coffee is often prepared in the kitchen or a separate section of the open bar in the catering industry.
With the help of high-quality and authentic food aromas, you can revive your customers' (childhood) memories of freshly brewed filter coffee. And with considerable chances of success: our customers have been able to increase their sales figures in the hot drinks sector by up to 110% in some cases. Whether in a supermarket, Christmas stand or coffee bar, an appetizing aroma attracts customers from afar, creates pleasant feelings and awakens positive memories.