Scent marketing has been around, in one form or another, for thousands of years. Almost every ancient culture has used scent in various ways to help humans understand and experience the world around them.
As the world evolved, consumers, being deluged with olfactory assaults from magazine blow-in cards, over-exuberant department store fragrance salespeople, and the like, have tuned out the endless array of traditional ads. As a result, brands are turning to one method that can’t be turned off – The Olfactory Bulb.
According to Advertising Age, scent marketing is now exploding as the next frontier in advertising and branding across an array of industries. Recent studies have shown that our sense of smell triggers emotional memories. In particular, memories relating to childhood.
The ability to manipulate this powerful reaction can be a veritable gold mine for those who create signature scents for their business and brand.
How Does Scent Marketing Work?
The scent-marketing trigger works in a simple fashion for both products and locations. According to Small Business Trends, smell is unlike all other human senses. Any aroma has an instantaneous effect because it bypasses cognitive thought and goes directly to the brain’s limbic system, which controls emotion. A wonderful dinner in a restaurant with a signature scent is likely to make a diner revisit later, especially when the same scent pervades and allows past memories to be automatically retrieved.
The same response goes for both positive and negative reactions to any given physical product. Take, for example, Apple computer products, all of which have the same scent. It translates into the fact that all products from this company will evoke the same chain of memories.
For the last decade, scent marketing has been billed as one of the top ten business trends to watch. According to the Sense of Smell Institute, the average human being can recognize approximately 10,000 different odors. The power of scent is always underestimated because few people realize that, on average, humans breathe 20,000 times a day.
In scent marketing terms, this translates into 20,000 opportunities to pitch a product because, as one 2006 study suggests, the sense of smell cannot be turned off. Retailers, hotel and restaurant owners, and others are jumping on the scent marketing band-wagon with the hope that this strategy will increase consumer spending, attract new customers, and create unforgettable brands.
This article will tap into the 11 scent marketing strategies that will benefit your bottom line.
11 Benefits of Scent Marketing
Make Your Brand Unforgettable
By using fragrance to imprint a pleasant memory, your product or service will become unforgettable. Robert Payer, GM of the Waldorf Astoria Amsterdam, says, “Hoteliers must be careful when selecting a scent – not too strong, not too light. The hotel must also select a scent that reflects the property and its values, rather than being everything for everybody. We want the smell to provide an ambiance, something that’s ours.”
Improving Brand Recognition
A vital force behind improving and reinforcing your brand recognition is scent marketing. Your brand is the whole-package experience. Once a customer visits your establishment, the customer draws a conclusion about your business and creates their own unique perception of your brand.
Aroma branding is the hook, and for many businesses, the only thing that differentiates them from their competition. Scent marketing allows for a new and deeper dimension to your brand. By reaching the emotional triggers of your consumers, you can influence brand perception, increase positive memories and experiences and sales.
Improving Guest Experiences
Scent is the very first impression a guest experiences when walking into a hotel. That scent must be an integral part of the hotel’s strategy and not treated as an afterthought. According to Loren Nalewanski, VP of brand management for Spring Hill Suites and Town Place Suites by Marriot, “The goal of a branded scent should be to lodge it within a guest’s memory.”
Create a Greater Value Perception
Only 54% of businesses have initiated some form of branding strategy that evaluates a brand’s perception. The idea refers to how consumers are exposed to, react to, and comprehend the stimuli in their environment.
A proper ambient scent contributes to the creation of a favorable impression for any organization. Aroma has the power to set a customer’s personal perception, even before they’re aware of it.
Attract New Customers
Pleasing scents act as a lure to potential customers, and Arizona Air-Scent knows that allure is purely sensory. A striking window display or appealing music may capture their attention from a distance, but a welcoming signature scent will entice the customer to enter your establishment.
The scent will create a lasting first impression. Establishing a positive memory will unconsciously create a desire to repeat it. We play on this psychological fact and place great importance on the chosen scent, with an emphasis on the recollection of positive memories.
Extend the Linger Time of Your Customers
Studies show that stores that implement a scent marketing strategy experience 20% longer linger time from their customers. As well, they can experience upwards of a 300% sales increase on products. Our scents are persuasive and promote the feeling of comfort, warmth, and familiarity like a warm fire on a cold Winter’s night.
Inspire Brand Loyalty
According to the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, up to 15% of a business’s loyal customers makeup 55-70% of total sales. As well, 80% of its future revenue will be generated from 20% of its current customer base. Scent marketing plays a part by attaching a positive emotion to the brand, which results in recognition and trust.
Encourage Repeat Businesses
Small business owners claim that 57% of repeat business is based on having a positive relationship with their customers. According to Bain & Company, returning customers will spend upwards of 67% more on return visits.
Arizona Air-Scent understands that the average customer is 100x more likely to remember the smell of your business over something seen or heard. A signature scent requires a strategy to provide a memorable customer experience.
Increased Sales
Arizona Air-Scent’s goal is to help businesses increase sales. Nike found that scent marketing in their retail stores, “increased intent to purchase,” by 80%. One experiment by a gas station found that the smell of freshly brewed coffee increased coffee sales by 300%, and another study found that the smell of fresh citrus in a retail setting increased total purchases from $55 to $90 per customer.
In a 2003 study by Lindstrom and Kotler, 84% of customers better-appreciated shoes that were displayed in a scented room. The same study found that customers are also willing to spend 15-20% on scented products.
Malodor Elimination
The most difficult and appreciated benefit of scent marketing is the elimination of bad odors. With it’s Metazene® formula, Arizona Air-Scent has created the best solution on the market. Metazene® does more than cover up the odor – it eliminates it at the molecular level. Plus, it couldn’t be simpler to use.
Better Workplace Performance
Scent, introduced to a workplace, can have a powerful impact on employees. Whether you’re an entrepreneur with a few employees or a corporate executive overseeing thousands, you know that happy employees translates into better productivity.
Scents affect an employee’s mood, alertness, and productivity.
- A woody rosemary lowers stress levels
- Lemon energizes and relieves tension, anxiety, and anger
- Jasmine is revitalizing
- Lavender is calming
- Cinnamon helps with productivity
- Peppermint stimulates alertness and mental clarity
Adding scent marketing into any business’s marketing mix promises to add improvement to the bottom line. Let’s discuss how Arizona Air-Scent can help your bottom line. CLICK HERE and contact us today.