Can scents sell?

12 October 15
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Did you know that scents have the power to impact on our spending habits? Yes – that lingerie overspend in your local high street store wasn’t entirely your fault. The subtle scent wafting its way through the shop made you do it. While your husband might not believe it, we can promise you it’s true.

Traditionally, marketing has just been about sight and sound. We see and hear about a product and want it. However, in more recent years, marketers have begun to tap into another one of our scents – smell.

A scent-sational way to influence the public

Smell is perhaps one of the most powerful scents to play to. Our sense of smell is directly hardwired to our brains, meaning it’s a great way for marketers to influence our purchasing decisions quickly. Smell travels directly to the limbic system, which is the emotional control centre of your brain – so when you smell something, before you know it it’s triggered an emotion.

Think about it, the smell of delicious pumpkin cheesecake in Autumn is more likely to draw you into a bath and body shop than that same old sale sign, scattered across every shop window. In fact, a scent can appeal to us and reach us before our eyes have even made contact with the shop – exciting our senses about what’s ahead. Seasonal scents in particular have proven to work well when it comes to marketing.

can scents sell shopper

Many supermarkets, restaurants and retail stores are now using nebulisation technology to convert fragrances into a dry vapour that slowly takes over the store. The smell can be dispersed through the use of a fan, or via complete integration with an air conditioning system.

Why smell?

Scents have this amazing way of welcoming you into a setting. That’s one reason many of us use them at home – to create a warm, welcoming and comforting atmosphere. And when we’re feeling comfortable, we’re often happier – which means we’re more likely to go on a spending spree. A little manipulative? Yes. But is it really any different to all the other forms of marketing we’re subject to?

Manipulating the senses at home

can scents sell lounge scene

Of course, there are a number of ways your can use the selling power of scents to your advantage – for example, when throwing a party or trying to sell your house. In both of these scenarios you’ll want to opt for something that’s pleasant and intriguing. Research has shown that white tea and fig are two of the hottest fragrances for creating that all-important enticing scent, while others, such as vanilla, still remain popular because of their close affiliation to home-baking. Other fragrances you might want to try are, Dance scented candles, loved by many because it’s reminiscent of fresh flowers, Neroli & Rose Geranium scented candles, because it’s clean and fresh, just like a set of clean sheets, and Noir scented candles, because of it’s modern, oriental twist –which has become popular in modern day.

What scents encourage you to spend your pennies? Tell us in the comments below or tweet us @MeltCandles