Part 5: How to stand out thanks to a unique olfactory atmosphere

Like taste marketing, olfactory marketing has traditionally been used in the agri-foods and cosmetics sectors. We've all tried to open a shower gel to smell it before buying.

Some memories buried deep inside can emerge with an olfactory signature. This proves that there is an intimate link between our memories, our emotions and smells.

Several brands use olfactory marketing as a differentiation lever by creating unique olfactory atmospheres. For example, vanilla and cinnamon provide sensations of comfort and warmth, whereas citrus is perceived as invigorating. 

What are the basic rules of olfactory marketing?

55. We remember 35% of what we smell (compared to 2% of what we see and 1% of what we touch). The smells you’ll use must be chosen very carefully.

56. A pleasant smell in a shop will have a positive impact on buying behaviour and make customers more comfortable. A study has shown that the value of a product increases in a fragrant shop. In addition, over the long term, customers will return more often to a fragrant shop.

57. Given that olfactory perception is particularly subjective, be careful not to overuse the fragrances you use in your point of sale. This will prevent a counter-productive effect. Start by testing the smells in small amounts, first on your employees who will live with the fragrance all day long!

• Test on a small scale, when you’re closed to the public
• Increase the concentration in the air gradually
• First test with your employees - Don’t use fragrances that are too recognisable
• Survey AND observe the impact on shopper behaviour.

58. Put fragrance in strategic areas in your shop: tills, entrance, fitting rooms and banisters.

59. Be careful not to heat the fragrances. This is potentially hazardous to your health and that of your patrons and employees in the shop. Keep the diffusers away from light sources in traffic areas.

Like taste marketing, olfactory marketing has traditionally been used in the agri-foods and cosmetics sectors. We've all tried to open a shower gel to smell it before buying.

Some memories buried deep inside can emerge with an olfactory signature. This proves that there is an intimate link between our memories, our emotions and smells.

Several brands use olfactory marketing as a differentiation lever by creating unique olfactory atmospheres. For example, vanilla and cinnamon provide sensations of comfort and warmth, whereas citrus is perceived as invigorating. 

What are the basic rules of olfactory marketing?

55. We remember 35% of what we smell (compared to 2% of what we see and 1% of what we touch). The smells you’ll use must be chosen very carefully.
56. A pleasant smell in a shop will have a positive impact on buying behaviour and make customers more comfortable. A study has shown that the value of a product increases in a fragrant shop. In addition, over the long term, customers will return more often to a fragrant shop.
57. Given that olfactory perception is particularly subjective, be careful not to overuse the fragrances you use in your point of sale. This will prevent a counter-productive effect. Start by testing the smells in small amounts, first on your employees who will live with the fragrance all day long!

• Test on a small scale, when you’re closed to the public
• Increase the concentration in the air gradually
• First test with your employees - Don’t use fragrances that are too recognisable
• Survey AND observe the impact on shopper behaviour.

58. Put fragrance in strategic areas in your shop: tills, entrance, fitting rooms and banisters.

59. Be careful not to heat the fragrances. This is potentially hazardous to your health and that of your patrons and employees in the shop. Keep the diffusers away from light sources in traffic areas.

60. An atmosphere fragrance can also help hospitality businesses hide odours (e.g., frying, alcohol smells, etc.).

To restart business in the summer of 2020, the city of Brussels created a “fragrance diffusion campaign in retail districts to improve the shopping experience of shoppers”.

What olfactory experiences should you provide to your customers?

61. Use authentic fragrances that remind people of their childhoods. In fact, the memories elicited by olfactory stimuli are quite old, and have often settled in our memories since early childhood.

62. Vary the fragrances depending on the time of day. More and more systems enable retailers to adjust the atmosphere in their shop remotely.

63. Don't hesitate to add a fragrance to some of the items shoppers will take away with them (catalogues, till receipts, business cards, etc.) to ensure that your olfactory identity lasts outside of your shop.

64. Use a fragrance that is identifiable and evokes your world or relates to the season.

• Cinnamon, honey and frangipani work well during sales seasons
• Valentine’s Day is the perfect time to diffuse ginger, green apple and island sugar
• All floral fragrances (violet, tuberose, poppy, rose, lily of the valley, etc.) work well in spring
• Christmas often means cinnamon and spices.

65. Porous surfaces are recommended when you want to diffuse essential oils.

66. If you want to create a relaxing atmosphere, you can use real lavender plants to create a visual design and change the olfactory mood. You can add texture to a wall with cinnamon sticks. Or, you can string berries to create a canopy on the ceiling. 

Museums also offer visitors the opportunity to 'smell the art'. Exhibitions such as 'Smell the art: Fleeting - Scents in Color' in The Hague create an olfactory world that matches the paintings. Perfume dispensers allow visitors to experience the various smells represented in the art, both fragrant and nauseating (depending on the work in front of them), with a simple foot movement.