Just as scent marketing uses pleasing smells to win customers over, foul odours may do the exact opposite.
If your business stinks, it’s an obvious signifier to customers and potential business partners that there is inadequate upkeep and poor hygiene going on, which is repulsive. Bad odours can be very distracting in addition to being an indication of more serious problems, which could significantly harm your brand’s standing. It can also impact pretty severely on employee morale and, ultimately, the success of the business.
In other words, a persistently bad smell can actually destroy your business. Here are some ways that customers will see your brand if it is associated with a foul odour.
Unhygienic
Bad smells usually come from poor hygiene. Inadequate cleaning techniques can end up causing unpleasant odours. Customers may be adversely affected by offensive odours that come from things like dirty toilets, inadequately ventilated kitchens, or overflowing dustbins. If these things are causing a stink on your premises, customers will probably not want to come back because they think it’s unclean and unhygienic.
Neglected
Bad odours can also indicate a general state of neglect and poor maintenance, which tells customers subconsciously that there is a lack of care injected into your brand and its offerings. This erodes trust.
For instance, if your business has a musty smell, it could be a sign of mould caused by poor ventilation or unattended moisture ingress. Another example could be a lingering smoky smell, which could be a sign that your HVAC systems need maintenance.
These issues not only cause a stink that creates a negative perception of your brand in the minds of your customers, but they can also pose actual potential health risks.
Unhappy Customers
Bad odours may be a sign that there is a general culture of carelessness when it comes to details, leaving a trail of unhappy customers in their wake. If unpleasant smells are overlooked by a company, then client satisfaction or product quality is just as likely to be too. This disregard for the little things might harm the company’s brand by causing unhappy customers and unfavourable reviews online. In other words, where there’s a stink, there’s a source.
Low Morale
Employee morale can also be negatively impacted by offensive odours. For instance, poorly kept toilets can erode employee happiness and make them feel undervalued. The general productivity of the company may therefore be impacted by greater staff turnover rates as a result of a bad work environment. This looks bad, and customers will notice.
Here at Scent.ology, we believe in making things smell good! Contact us today to get your scent marketing and perfume branding strategy back on track so that you can attract customers rather than chase them away!
