Olfactory Marketing

Olfactory Marketing (also known as Olfactive Marketing) consists of using scents in a business context to enhance the experience or to alter the mood of customers and employees.

What can odors do for my business?

Plenty! Fresh, pleasant odors have positive effects on customers:

They stay longer in stores and restaurants that smell good.    

• They have an enjoyable experience.
• They are more likely to return.
• If the fragrance is unique, repeat customers will automatically associate the scent to your establishment when smelled elsewhere.
• On the other hand, undesirable odors have negative effects on customers:
• They are bothered and annoyed by the scent and want to leave.
• They will not likely to return to your establishment.

 They stay longer in stores and restaurants that smell good.  

 
Some examples ...

Go to any pet store and what do you notice when you first walk in? The smell. Most pet stores smell awful, and that affects the amount of time we spend in the store. It also renders our visit a little less enjoyable, because we sub-consciously want to leave. It also renders our visit a little less enjoyable, because we subconsciously want to leave due to the foul odor. 

Another easy example: Try going to a bakery and not buy anything. The odor of fresh baked bread and muffins strikes us right away! We look at everything and tend to stay longer, simply because of the smell!

Try this one: A large Canadian retail chain of bookstores chose to have a coffee shop near the entrance of the stores. The delightful smell of freshly brewed coffee goes a long way to enhance the customer experience while purchasing books.

And who can resist the unmistakable smell of fresh buttered popcorn?

Need more? How about the scent of a new car? Every time you step into a new car, it always smells great... Does plastic, metal and carpet naturally smell that good?

Where should I add fresh scent?

• Near the entrance; First impressions are the most important. Delight your customers with a fresh fragrance as soon as they walk in. A fresh scent will make your clients feel welcome. It will also be the last thing they smell when leaving.
• In dressing rooms; Over time, the smell of feet and body odor can permeate the carpet in the dressing rooms of clothing stores. Scented ceramic discs are an excellent spillproof method of controlling these stale odors.
• In public washrooms; Especially in restaurants and food industry establishments. A client's appetite can be greatly influenced by their trip prior to the washroom prior to ordering.
• In waiting rooms; Odors can calm and relax. Bring a whole new atmosphere to dentist and doctor waiting rooms, or to a garage waiting room. Waiting is not enjoyable, and fresh scent will help distract the customer.
• Where unpleasant odors are unwanted; Clothing stores, grocery stores and bookstores all have one thing in common: the products they sell don't necessarily smell good. Add a breath of fresh air to your customers' shopping experience!   

What scent makes people buy more?

There is no particular scent. The fragrance should complement a marketing theme that creates a better business environment by appealing to all five senses. Consider these factors to create a "shopping mood" that inspires purchases:    

Music: Lively, upbeat music playing through store speakers keeps your customers engaged. Build a music selection based on your client demographics and offer enough song variety to keep your staff happy.

Colors: Bright colors draw the eye and attract shoppers to inspect your merchandise.

Lighting: Install soft mood lighting for the store and add spotlights for special areas. Better lighting in dressing rooms make your customers look better.

Layout: High-profit and high-volume products should be located in the center core. Transfer sale items deeper into the store to keep people moving to other areas. Create trend stations in aisles and other strategic locations to make people stop as they walk by. Setup scenarios that include multiple products to evoke a lifestyle or trend that encourages shoppers to buy the whole "look". Consider the different shopping behaviors of men and women.

Smells: Install air freshening devices to circulate aromas that support the decor and the products. Bubblegum is ideal for toy departments and play areas, while Fresh Linen enhances departments promoting bath and bedroom products and Vanilla creates an excellent environment for housewares and baking products.

Signage: Signs with product information and key features help in comparison shopping. Area signage and directories are vital to assist customers in quickly finding what they need.

Brand Reinforcement: Sales accessories imprinted with your logo incite "first in mind" behaviour long after the customer has left the store.

Recent tests have proven that people will stay longer in a store with pleasant odors, that it has a positive effect on the perception of your products and company, and will influence the purchase decision.

Can a person be allergic to a scent?

NO. There are no allergens present in an aromatic chemical. However, if a person has an allergy to grass, for example, and smells something similar, they can react with similar sensitivities because of scent memory.

How do odors affect people? 

Odors bring back memories and influence our behavior. Depending on the fragrance, odors can calm, relax, stimulate associations, evoke, frighten and arouse us. In fact, we have the capacity to distinguish up to 10,000 different odors that influence our memory and feelings and impact our quality of life. The sense of smell is very powerful and primitive; it affects us in subtle ways on a daily basis.

How can Naturex help with olfactory marketing?

Naturex is a manufacturer of fragrancing systems that are ideal for use in commercial and retail establishments. We can help you implement olfactory marketing with our unique Ambiance diffuser and premium liquid fragrances. We've been delivering air freshener and fragrancing solutions to residences and businesses worldwide since 1989. 

Why do Naturex products work so well?

Consistent scent is the key. Unlike metered sprays or plug-in air fresheners, Naturex Ambiance diffuses a consistent fragrance that lasts.

What makes Naturex Ambiance air fresheners diffuse a consistent scent?

Our fragrance dispenser uses a small and quiet fan to evaporate a liquid fragrance into the air. As long as there's a reasonable amount of liquid fragrance in the bottle or can, Ambiance can diffuse it.
But I don't want to smell fragrances all day long!

Our Ambiance dispenser is conveniently equipped with an On/Off switch at the back for the times when you don't want fragrances diffused.

Why can't I smell it anymore?

Our sense of smell is sensitive to new scents, but gradually loses that sensitivity over time. The best way to prevent this is to change the fragrance in your dispenser. After a few months, you can go back to the fragrance you had become used to. But remember, your fragrance will always smell fresh to customers when they walk through your door because they are only exposed to it infrequently.