With the advent of e-commerce websites, more and more shoppers have chosen convenience and turned to online platforms. But in-store retail experience is not totally overseen and is a crucial opportunity to effectively portray the brand value and foster brand loyalty. Hence it is imperative that the brand experience needs to be a memorable one when the shoppers actually visit the brick and mortar stores. In order to compete with the online discounts and fierce competition, retailers need to take every aspect of their stores into account: the music, the layout and décor, and lighting. To up your game, learn how retailers can use scent marketing to influence shoppers to make the right choice.
Scents That Enhance Retail Store Experiences
Lavender – Described as rich, refreshing, warm, bold, intense, balancing, and sweet, Lavender’s floral scent contains essences of French bergamot, clary sage, and of course lavender. Stores that want to create a peaceful environment often employ lavender smells because of their calming nature. Studies have found that signs of depression and anxiety are reduced with the smell of lavender. Hence lavender fragrances are a popular choice for spas and resorts. Lavender has been also used in the hospital waiting rooms and emergency room to calm families while their loved ones are being treated.
Vanilla – Vanilla has been part of each one of our childhoods since they are part of many food items preferred by kids including ice creams and custards. Maybe that is one reason why the smell of vanilla has been found to reduce depression and is often associated with pleasant childhood memories. For those who are unaware, vanilla essence is described as warm, sweet, inviting, friendly and mouth-watering. Vanilla scents have an innate calming effect on people which was proved by a study in Germany that found people who were exposed to vanilla fragrance were not easily startled.
Fresh Cotton – Another smell that banks on nostalgia, is the smell of fresh cotton. It really helps the customers to feel comfortable and reassured. Fresh cotton gives a feeling of being clean, casual, soft, friendly, and playful. By combining the essence of night-blooming jasmine with white musk, a relaxing aroma definitely promotes peaceful feelings. Clothing retailers and mattress stores reinforce the natural aroma of new clothing fabric by using the aroma of fresh cotton.
5 Ways To Nail Ambient Scenting In Your Store
1. Choose A Relatable Scent
If the scent used is relatable and seems to match the products in the store, it can positively influence purchase intent. Selecting the scent consists of the same process as planning your store’s visual design like choosing the furniture or wall colour. To cite an example, a car dealership’s scent will contain leather notes and a premium feels while a bicycle shop will prefer outdoor scents with a touch of grass.
2. Know Your Target Audience
The reception of scent is influenced by other factors such as gender, age, or demographics. Understanding who your target customers are, along with their likes and dislikes can really go a long way in the successful implementation of scent marketing. Diffusing feminine scents to a men’s shop may not be ideal if you are looking to attract buyers.
3. Set The Appropriate Mood
Just like Lavender is known to have a soothing effect with its relaxing properties, Jasmine is great at producing a feeling of optimism. Citrus scents have an energizing effect. Let your choice of scent communicate the vibe of the store that you intend to project.
4. Consistency is Key
Creating a Signature Scent that resonates with all your store outlets can help to achieve consistency, making the scent a mascot of your brand. Customers will eventually start to associate it with you, making it easier for them to feel familiarity.
5. Don’t Overindulge
The scent used should be part of the experience to offer a cuddle rather than a slap in the face. Too much of a good thing is also a bad thing. So overpowering scents can have the opposite effect you are aiming to achieve. The ambient scenting needs to be subtle, but not too faint either.
Discover The Power Of Scent Marketing
Scent marketing is truly a marketing effort that uses a strategically chosen fragrance to communicate a clear, likable brand identity diffused at customer touchpoints to increase sales and brand loyalty.
Scents are proven to create stronger communication, heighten the brand connection, and eventually deepen brand loyalty when used In combination with other marketing cues. Custom signature scents for fashion brands' retail stores are explicitly designed to express the overall brand message for enhancing the perception, emotion, and connection with the target audience, thereby becoming a memorable and integrated piece of the brand’s overall identity.
Start Scenting Your Retail Store
Well planned and strategically executed ambient scenting can positively influence the purchase behavior of customers who walk into the store. Although it sounds relatively simple, it is an art that requires precision and research. This is because if done incorrectly, consumers may turn away from the retail space without even exploring the choices available. So it is important to pick a scent that makes sense for your brand & the associated products. Depending on the product focus, department stores often incorporate different unique scents in various areas of the stores. Also, the weather and season play an important role when selecting a particular fragrance. If the humidity is very high, a suitable fragrance that can engulf the entire store without impacting the ambiance has to be selected.
So now that you realize how retailers can use scent marketing to influence shoppers, hire a professional to scope out your retail store and implement scent marketing strategies to increase your customer footfall. Atmocare is a leading scent marketer in Dubai that offers excellent scent diffusing options and deals with scenting spaces of any size.
