Scent marketing or olfactory branding has been shown through numerous studies to enhance the customer experience and yield better customer engagement with the brand. It achieves this by improving brand retention by cementing positive emotions and memories that are linked to the scent.
Here are some tips to improve the customer experience by using aromatherapy in your place of business.
Embrace A Holistic Approach
Your scent marketing strategy must be part of a larger, more holistic brand positioning strategy. This means considering various aspects of the whole customer experience and interaction with your business and aligning all of them with scent being a unifying aspect ‒ the cherry on the top, so to speak.
Among the aspects that should be considered and carefully aligned are the decor style, colour schemes, soundscape, such as music choice or ambient sounds, and the product or service you are selling.
The aroma chosen should be a reflection or compliment of what customers see and hear, thereby enhancing the overall experience and creating a stronger impression that is more likely to be remembered.
Keep It Simple
Aromas can become extremely complex if you start to mix them all together. It’s easy to overdo it by mixing too many different scents together. To avoid your custom blend from being too overwhelming, rather err on the side of being too simple.
Moreover, be careful when applying different scents to different sections of your store, for example. Too many different aromas can also be overwhelming. It’s best to keep your scent uniform to create a strong link to the brand in the customer’s mind.
When it comes to the type of diffusion solution, make sure that you use something that diffuses evenly and, if possible, discreetly. Aromatherapy tends to be at its strongest and most effective when it is somewhat subliminal and not consciously noticed. When customers notice the smell too strongly, they tend to focus on it rather than the task of shopping, so best to dial it back and go subtle.
Remember Your Target Market
If your target market is primarily female, then going for soft, feminine scents is more likely to yield a positive response from female patrons, driving up linger time and ultimately pushing sales figures up as well.
However, those same feminine aromas will drive most male patrons away. The same is true for how masculine scents, such as pine or musk, might affect men and women differently.[CTA] At Scent.ology, we provide a wide range of aromas and diffusion technologies to help you boost your brand and make it memorable in the hearts and minds of your customers. Contact us today to learn more about our products and services.
