A "scent marketing" primer - How to use smell tastefully and effectively in your store.

Have you ever walked into Pier 1 and said to yourself, "I love that smell"?

How about just cruising through the mall, not even thinking about food, and here comes that Cinnabon smell wafting through the air. Suddenly you feel like a kid again. You may not stop and enjoy one but you definitely thought about it. That is what Scent Marketing is all about. 

What is "scent marketing"?

    In an article on the topic, Shopify explains: "Our brains are keenly tuned into scent. An adult can distinguish 10,000 different smells and our bodies generate scent neurons every few weeks to ensure they’re in good working order. Unlike our other senses, scent travels immediately through various parts of your brain instead of being processed centrally first."

Click here to watch a short video and read the rest of the article.

“When it comes to scents, retailers really need to keep three things in mind:

1. What is the purpose in scenting this store?
2. Which aroma will appeal most to my customers?
3. And what technology should I use?”

That's a quote from a helpful article on scent marketing by Lightspeed HQ. You can read more about it here.

This article above tells you a little bit more about what scent to choose. As a general starting point, I like the 3 questions above that they provided.

Example:

When I think about a scent for American Retail Supply, the first thing that comes to mind is vanilla. Why did I pick vanilla? Vanilla is associated not only with warmth, softness and caring, but also has connotations of purity and simplicity. I wouldn't want our showroom to smell like cedar or pine as we are much more than just slatwall or showcases and I don't think the smell of plastic would go over to well.

A smell can make a client stay and shop for hours or simply turn around and walk out. So make sure to do some research before you run out to your local grocery store and purchase what is just sitting on the shelf. Make sure to look at the big picture as this will be something you will consistently purchasing. Maybe think about buying them in bulk and set a calendar reminder to check on them or you could have an outside company come in and check on supplies. Either way, if you haven't thought about Scent Marketing, maybe it's time to do some research.

Click here to shop at at AmericanRetailSupply.com