Emotional Retail Engagement
Creating an emotional connection with consumers encourages loyalty and, ultimately, sales. Interest in the science of consumer emotions is growing rapidly. Scent marketing and ambient scenting are in the spotlight as studies show a direct, strong link between our sense of smell and our emotional state.
Emotionally engaged consumers spend more on brands they are loyal to; they have a high tendency for brand recall and purchase; they promote brands they are loyal to; and they enjoy giving back.
Studies show that fully engaged customers are less price-sensitive. This means that customers are willing to pay more when they experience attentive service and emotionally-engaging ambience.
The stimulation of smell is a marketing tool of great potential, since it allows the retailer to generate affective states, promote a product, positioning a brand, or to assign “exclusive scents” to a retailer and to differentiate it from the competition. In addition, it is also used to stimulate impulse-buying at store.
For the ambient scenting application to produce greater positive effects, there needs to be harmony between the scent, the desired environment, the products offered, and the profile of the target customers.