Scent branding is an interesting technique that companies use to stand out from the crowd and competition. It utilizes different scents to aid in brand recall or positive brand association. This can help in boosting your company's sales. There is a high probability that the presence of any attractive fragrance within the shop will influence the behavior of the shop patrons favorably.
In this regard, this article discusses the concepts of scent marketing and its impact on marketers and consumers in terms of the created experience and the corporate brand image respectively.
Perks of Scent in Marketing
Scent is very powerful. And good scents are hard to forget. They will bring back some of the most memorable places or happy moments. For instance, the smell of cookies can trigger memories of someone who enjoys baking with their grandmother. This explains the concept of scent marketing.
Scent marketing helps brands and businesses create emotional connections with their customers and target audience. When a business practices scent marketing, it helps to improve the moods of its target consumers or induces relaxation. The wrong scent can drive people away but the right one can enhance the environment. This makes customers want to come back every single time.
Increased Revenue and Sales
One of the best things about scent branding is that it has the potential to increase revenue figures in several ways. More often than not, when a store smells good, people want to buy things. It has been reported that scent marketing can enhance retail store sales by 11%. That is a huge factor that should not be taken for granted.
For example, if a given store sells items worth $100, scent branding can enable it to sell $111. In another study, researchers re-created a retail environment with a sweet citrus smell and measured its effect, and it was found that people spent more money here than usual. They spent an average of $90 instead of $55. That is a huge difference. Also, customers were 84% more likely to buy two identical pairs of Nike shoes in a room that smelled good compared to a room with no scent. This shows how scent branding can make a difference in sales.
Unique Brand Signature
In today’s overly commercialized environment, it seems almost impossible to be original. This can be achieved with the help of a signature fragrance. It helps create a unique identity for your brand. This is important because customers want to remember the brand. There are ways that a company can achieve this by accenting fragrance within their products.
For example, Fendi has a suede and leather perfume. This scent helps people remember Fendi and feel a connection to the brand. It is different from other brands and makes them stand out. A signature scent can bespeak prestige and help customers feel important. That is the reason why quite a few premium brands have resorted to this method of advertising in order to leave their brand signature in the mind of the customer.
Enhanced Customer Experience
Scent branding can also apply to the enhancement of customer experience. A good scent in the store may entice customers to feel at ease and joy. This is significant because a good experience can encourage them to come back.
Advertising of scents takes over the whole interaction with the brand. This means that customers can feel fully involved in the brand. Different scents can soothe or energize customers. For example, a calming scent can help people relax while they shop. This results in a more positive attitude towards the process of shopping. Businesses need to address the issue of scent and how it can affect customers in general and their shopping experience in particular.
Increased Dwell Time
Scent branding has an advantage in that customers are likely to spend a longer period within the store. If a store has nice smells, customers will be more likely to stay inside for longer. Studies show that shoppers often underestimate how long they spend shopping. They might think they only spent a little time, but it can be much longer. In one study, customers spent 26% more time shopping when they were in a scented environment. They also visited three times more sections of the store. This means they were exploring more products. The smell of chocolate even encouraged people to shop for books longer. This shows how scent can influence customer behavior and keep them engaged.
Improved Brand Recognition and Loyalty
Scent branding is also known to give businesses an edge by making a brand recognizable to its customers. Customers when impressed by a brand are said to repeat their purchases. A brain cannot easily forget scent, hence it can make a brand more outstanding. This brings more awareness of the brand and its loyalty over time.
Customers feel content with the brand, which makes them always want to visit your store. Cases in point include Abercrombie whose normal scent has made it to the top. This is because most people remember the smell when asked about the brand. This helps reinforce the brand’s identity. When people find the store smells interesting and different, they come back. It enhances good feelings about the brand and helps improve sales and therefore increase customer retention.
Implementing Scent Branding
Now that we are aware of the benefits of scent branding, how do businesses approach it? To begin, they should select the fragrance in accordance with the brand’s values and objectives. This means selecting a fragrance that goes hand in hand with the emotions and concepts the brand wishes to convey. For instance, a spa would probably choose to use a soothing lavender essence, whereas a sports shop may use a citrus fragrance.
The next step is to either use a diffuser or scented candles which can help to distribute the aroma throughout the respective area of the business. This is an efficient strategy aimed at ensuring that customers receive the scent as it was intended to be dispensed. It should be noted that it might take an effort to try out numerous fragrances until one pinpoints the proper perfume.
Making Your Business Stand Out with Scent Marketing
Scent marketing is an effective tool for any company. It can improve the brand experience, and thus sales, among the consumers. Even scents used strategically can improve emotions and brand identity for businesses. Scent branding goes a further step into ensuring that marketers are still able to capture the attention of their target consumers. It can widen the market for a particular product as well as enhance customer loyalty and satisfaction.
Companies wishing to thrive or be able to make any profit should integrate scent branding into the market strategy. This is a perfect opportunity for putting some uniqueness to their brand and enhancing the ambience. Scent branding can prove to be of utmost importance as far as customer perception towards a brand is concerned. With scent to the businesses, there is also an enhancement to the customer experience as well as accomplishment of the business.