Using Store Scents to Boost Holiday Sales

For many people, buying can be based on emotion almost as much as it’s price- and item-based, especially during the holiday gift-giving season. So now is the time to make sure your store appeals to your customers’ senses. The sense of smell is particularly evocative, but experts warn – keep it simple when using scents to boost holiday store sales.

You might be tempted to run with the obvious – some heady combination of seasonal favorites from greens to foods. After all, any of these would give your store a beautifully fragrant ambiance, wouldn’t they? But with so much at stake at your cash registers, this is no time for intuition, you should be keeping it simple. A noted scientist says, “pleasant isn’t necessarily effective” when it comes to using scents to boost holiday sales.

Rely on the research

Eric Spangenberg is an environmental psychologist and dean of Washington State University’s College of Business. His studies on the effects of scent on shopping behavior show that using a single, simple scent can boost your sales by 20%. That’s 20% more than using no scent at all, or using a complex scent.

Complex aromas can actually derail your efforts to sell more with scent, because they’re distracting. If your brain has to process multi-component smells, it cannot concentrate as well on other tasks, like shopping. Simple scents can give your customers a superior store experience without distracting them from the “work” at hand.

For example, spiced cider is a complex scent, whereas one of its key ingredients – either apples or cinnamon – would be a better choice. Other effective choices? Pine or orange scents. Use simple-scent holiday candies such as chocolate Hershey’s kisses or peppermint candy canes to decorate displays and treat shoppers. You’ll appeal to their senses of smell and taste, and reward them for shopping in your store at the same time.

Congruence matters

Not surprisingly, women buy more when the scent is feminine, and men buy more when the scent is masculine. Beyond that, the fragrance you choose should be in context with your merchandise – certain scents just won’t make sense in a bakery, car parts store, or clothing boutique.

Combine your just-right scent with music, and sell even more.

Watch the tempo, though – fast-paced music encourages shoppers to hurry, whereas a more relaxed tempo encourages browsing. And we all know that a longer time spent in-store can result in higher sales.

Think power, not overpowering

The idea is to create a mood, not overwhelm people first entering your store. And some people are very sensitive to strong fragrances, so don’t overdo it. The same goes for your music. Your staff will go bonkers if they have to listen to the same selections over and over and over for hours on end, day after day. Have a heart and vary your music enough to keep them as cheery as your customers.

Using scents to boost holiday sales is smart business, so target those senses. Create an atmosphere that looks, feels, sounds and smells welcoming and comfortable – just the place to spend more time browsing and buying this holiday season.

Palmer Retail Solutions strives to offer our clients the absolute best combination of innovation, quality, service, and value for our diversified custom store fixtures and merchandising displays. For more information about our designs, retail fixtures, cash wraps, kiosks, or point of purchase displays, visit our website at: http://www.palmerretailsolutions.com.