Research on the Effect of Scent Marketing

The human sense of smell is a collision of biology and psychology. That is what makes it so powerful.

There have been mountains of research conducted on scent, emotion, and scent marketing. Researchers around the world have conducted field studies on the effects of ambient scents. And our own clients have conducted and shared the findings of independent research on the value of AromaDiffusing.nl.

But to truly understand what scent marketing is capable of, you must understand the science of scent. The key is how we process and interpret smells. It is the interpretation of a scent that bridges the gap between your customers and what you want them to think and feel about your business.

The better you understand how the science of scents works, the more you will want your business to reap the benefits.

Case Study 1

In 1991, Richard Axel and Linda Buck published research on the functioning of the olfactory system. It was groundbreaking research. Until then, the olfactory system had been a mystery in the scientific community. But Axel and Buck were able to uncover the truth about how we experience the world through scent.

They wanted to find out how mammals can perceive so many different smells. But in addition to scent detection, they also wanted to learn how the brain interprets scents into unique odor perceptions and behaviors. As Axel explained, "the richness of the outside world must be represented in the brain by simply a collection of neurons."

Axel and Buck were shocked by their findings. Their work showed that we perceive scent through at least 1,000 receptors. In contrast, the eye uses only three receptors to distinguish colors.

Through these receptors, scent information is sent to the brain where the emotional and physiological effects are triggered.

The research clearly shows that scent has the power to influence our emotional state. But what does that mean in the context of a business?

Recent research shows that customers are looking for emotional experiences. Namely, the Harvard Business Review conducted a study on the importance of an emotional connection with the customer. They found that customers with an emotional connection are worth 52% more to a brand than customers who are merely satisfied.

Another study, conducted on the other side of the world, came to remarkably similar discoveries. Researchers from Yonsei University studied the importance of managing customer emotions in luxury retail environments. They found that managing customer emotions helps improve brand perception and influences attitudes towards the brand.

Case Study 2

People behave more generously and kindly under the influence of lime scent.

 

This was shown in an American experiment where participants were asked to donate money.

Researchers from Northwestern University and Brigham Young University asked participants if they were willing to donate money to a charity. The participants were also polled about performing charitable work.

During the questioning, some people were in a room where the scent of lime was present. Other participants were in a room that had not been refreshed with an artificial aroma.

The research showed that people in the lime-scented room were more willing to donate money than participants in the other room (22% vs 6%).

People in the 'lime room' also more readily promised to lend a hand for a good cause. Source: Nu.nl -20091026

The big challenge of the above is to use the right ingredients in the right dosages in a perfume so that your product or service is best served with your brand positioning. That is precisely what scent marketing is about. Scent stimuli work directly on the most primitive decision-making center of customers: instinct. Scents evoke strong and irresistible impulses, emotions, and/or memories around reason. You will either fight, flee, eat, or sleep. It is here that the strongest opportunities for scent marketing lie.

Case Study 3

Nothing can transport you back in time faster than a certain scent. But how is it that scents leave such deep traces in our brains?

Israeli scientists believe they have found the answer: 'scent memories' leave a very different kind of trace in our brains than other types of memories, such as images, sounds, and words.

This makes scent memories a 'privileged' type of memory; they come first.

Experiment:

The Israeli researchers attempted to replicate childhood scent memories in 16 adult volunteers.

In the lab, they were shown a picture of an object, combined with a scent of a pear or a moldy smell.

90 minutes later, they were shown the same picture, but with the other scent.

After a week, they tested which association was strongest by exposing the volunteers to the same scent.

During all tests, the volunteers were connected to a functional MRI scanner, which measures brain activity.

Overall, the volunteers found it easier to remember unpleasant scents than pleasant ones.

But the MRI scans show that the hippocampus in the brain 'lights up' differently when the volunteers were exposed to the first scent (to which they had been exposed the week before). The brain did not respond in a special way to the second scent.

The type of scent does not matter; what matters is the order.

Evolution:

How is it explained that people remember the "unpleasant" more readily?

According to Dr. Yeshurun, it is evolutionarily logical that bad experiences are remembered better than good ones. Evolution also explains why scent memories receive preferential treatment in the brain: Our ancestors likely relied more on their sense of smell to detect toxic plants, rotten food, and enemies than we do. Therefore, it was important that these scents were etched most strongly in our brains.

Conclusion

Scent marketing research provides clear evidence of the influences scent marketing can have on our well-being. Our behavior is largely determined by it.

In this way, our consumption behavior is also strongly influenced.

Consider the following situation: If you were to do everything right regarding your communication and experience in your store, but you happen to have a negative scent present in your sales area, then your efforts will be in vain and have no effect.

This is, of course, a black-and-white situation, but it illustrates the importance of a pleasant scent in any commercial space where you receive potential customers.

When drafting your communication plan, be sure to also consider  scent marketing.

Want to learn more about scent marketing? Contact our scent experts or request a quote for a scent machine.