Does your business smell?

The Power of Scent Marketing

Most of us have associated scents with memories and locations that are familiar to us.  But what if that scent was made specifically to help you associate it with a particular product being used or store you are perusing?

Scent marketing is a powerful commercial tool and businesses have been tapping in to it for a long time.  In fact, it is utilised so much that goods and services can be protected by Scent Trade Marks.

Food and perfumes are usually the common products we associate with smell, but scents are being infused in to products across the board.

Scents can create such a strong association with a product that it should almost be criminal to take advantage of them.

Have you known that a restaurant or store was close by smell alone?  Perhaps you have associated the scent of Play Doh with your childhood?  Although most are long gone, you can probably recall the scent of Darrell Lea stores.

Steven Semoff, the acting co-president of the Scent Marketing Institute, claims that a study conducted by Nike found that scent marketing in retail stores increased intent to purchase by 80%.  In another scent marketing experiment, the smell of fresh-brewed coffee at a gas station increased coffee sales by 300%.

Scents are also used by retailers to encourage customers to browse longer, improve their sense of quality, and create familiarity.  So, take note of that next time you find yourself wandering around a store, unsure of why you’re still aimlessly browsing.

So the question is – Does your business smell?

Perhaps your products or storefront have a unique scent that customers associate with your business.  Or you might now consider introducing scents in to your goods and services.  You should also consider trade marking that scent, so that you can own it and control it.  If you own it and control it, you can use it to make money by delivering a product or service that only you can provide.