Scent Marketing: What Is It and How Can It Benefit You?

Here is a fun fact – people can recall scents with a 65% accuracy after a year while visual memory reduces by 50% within a few months.

Nearly every ancient society used ambient scents.

For instance, ancient Romans blessed their pets with oil while pharaohs adorned lavish fragrances to announce their arrival. In ancient Japan, clocks burned with incense every 15 minutes. The world has dramatically changed since then, with brands leveraging olfactory senses to reach consumers.

But what is scent marketing and what can it do for your business? Read on to learn more:

What Is Scent Marketing?

Otherwise known as olfactory marketing, scent marketing is an aggressive yet subtle marketing technique that seeks to form an associative remembrance of a brand through the sense of smell.

But why smell?

The sense of smell is incredibly powerful as it controls most of our emotions. That’s why the corporate sector is using scents to trigger feelings and emotions in their customers.

Smell has a significant on the emotional and memory centers of the brain. As a result, the right scent can help create a deep, meaningful relationship between a brand and consumers.

Reasons to Use Scent Marketing

Still not sure about this marketing strategy? Check out some of the top benefits of scent marketing:

Boost Sales

The right smell can change or improve the perception consumers have about a company and its products. This encourages them to not only linger around for longer but purchase products before exiting the store.

For instance, an appliance and electronics store may increase sales by adding apple pie and sugar scents on the sales floor.

Better Customer Experiences

Scent marketing helps create an immersive shopping experience. From the moment a customer enters the store, they get an experience that involves all the five senses. Smell is an important part of guest experience from arrival to departure from your premises.

Make Your Brand Unforgettable

Some brands have mastered the art of sensory signatures and use bespoke smells unique to them. This makes them unforgettable while inspiring brand loyalty.

It’s not uncommon to find gift boxes with peculiar scents, which serve as a reminder of where and what you bought. Similarly, Westin Hotels use a White Tea scent to create an energizing and relaxing appeal for patrons.

Increase Linger Time

People love staying in places that smell good and as such, boosting linger time is one of the best scent marketing benefits. Realtors use scents to create a sense of comfort and encourage potential buyers to stick around for longer.

For physical stores, the right scent can entice customers to interact with your products longer. More time spent on your premises equals more sales.

Enhance Interior Aesthetics

Stores that need an upgrade but are working with a limited budget can benefit from scent marketing. Investing in a simple fragrance diffuser such as the one here will have a significant impact that may be at the same level as new displays or light fixtures.

How to Use Scent Marketing

Although the benefits of scent marketing are quite powerful, few brands get it right. The ideal strategy should be simple but quality and tailored to your brand. For instance, woodsy smells work well for men’s stores while floral scents are great for women’s stores.

Find more insightful tips, browse our blog posts.