Scent marketing in retail isn’t just a “nice to have” to liven up the sales floor, but an important and unbeatable strategy for building customer loyalty. Sounds far-fetched? It isn’t. It’s pure psychology. Today we’d like to explain in more detail why scent marketing in retail is a secret weapon for standing out from the competition. We also have a few examples from AROMEA customers that show how well an olfactory experience works on customers and staff alike.
Where Scent Makes the Difference
A good product and an excellent range are only the beginning when it comes to holding your own against the competition. Customers want to be met where they are and to feel at home. Shopping should become an experience that makes you want to come back. And to that end, retailers dig deep into their bag of tricks. Music, decor and effects are meant to create a great offer and ambience, but that can quickly tip over into sensory overload. The watchword here is: less is more, and that’s exactly what speaks for scent marketing. Because aromatic notes add interesting touches and travel via the sense of smell directly into the brain’s emotional processing, into the limbic system. That’s also why we tend to link pleasant scents with positive feelings. And that effect, in turn, can be used for customer loyalty. After all, who doesn’t like shopping where it smells good and a great range is waiting? The scent also becomes linked to the brand that plays with it. And people love talking about brands that smell good.
From the Field: 3 Success Stories with Scent Marketing in Retail
Talking about how great scent marketing in retail is, that’s one thing. Having great success stories to hand that show how well scent and retail go together is another. At AROMEA, we have plenty of those. Today we’d like to show you three of them as examples, from the big market to the small independent retailer. They all have one thing in common: AROMEA scent marketing shows to great effect how good aromas and a unique scent concept can redefine the shopping experience.
The Shopping Experience at Eurogast Sinnesberger
Many smells converge in food retail: sweet fruit meets fresh fish, exotic spices pair up with cheeses. And we love experiencing this culinary variety with all our senses, just not all at once. Day in, day out, food and gourmet retailer Eurogast Sinnesberger in Kirchbichl in Tyrol had to master this olfactory challenge. On the one hand, the freshness and high quality of its products should come into their own; on the other, customers should feel comfortable from the entrance to the till, with no unpleasant smells. The solution was a scent concept with AROMEA. In the drinks section, the wine shop and the entrance area, AROMEA fragrances have given the 3,000 square metre store a whole new feel. For regular customers, that’s now part of the shopping experience, as deputy head of marketing Thomas Draxl confirmed to us in an interview.
A Warm Welcome at Kaufhaus Tyrol
Kaufhaus Tyrol, in the heart of Innsbruck, is one of the busiest shopping centres in the region. With the AROMEA Nano Pro, the AROMEA Nano Power and AROMEA Nano Flex, a whole armada of AROMEA diffusers scents the shopping centre. The fragrances show the entrance areas, washrooms and the access to the underground car park in a new light. Because it’s in these areas, especially, that unwelcome odours like to build up, and they don’t suit the modern, open style of Kaufhaus Tyrol at all. The goal is for the shopping centre to become associated with fresh, light scents in the long term. But read it for yourself.
A Doggone Good Feel-Good Scent at “Apollo’s Finest”
Our best friends often wear fur or feathers, and for them too, only the best is good enough. At “Apollo’s Finest”, dog owners will find everything they need to spoil their four-legged companions rotten. That naturally includes treats and chews. But what’s a delicacy for Fido’s snout makes his master and mistress wrinkle their noses. To keep the feel-good atmosphere equally relaxed for people and animals, the owners decided to scent their concept store with AROMEA. With success: customers love coming here, and love staying in the shop to stock up on new products at their leisure.
