Your sense of smell can tell you a lot about your world. It can also bring up memories, create wonderful pictures and yes, influence what you buy. Retail research has proven that a store can make you spend more when it offers pleasant smells that are targeted toward you purchasing certain products.
Anyone who has been in the mall and has found themselves wandering over to the Cinnabon, the Auntie Ann’s pretzel stand or the Baskin Robbins ice cream shop knows that yummy smells can make you hungry. But did you know that baby powder, lilac or coconut can make you hungry as well? This hunger is not for food but for store products.
The Early Show ran a segment about things that influence us to make retail purchases. Among the “secrets” that the reporter covered were sales, product placement and friendly sales help. Nothing new there. But the area I did find interesting was when they started talking about scents. It was revealed that many retail stores pump in the appropriate scents to influence customers to stay longer and purchase more items.
I’ve known that this has been happening for a while. Any trip to Disney World will find this sort of thing all over the place. The scent of fresh cookies is pumped down Main Street, and a mild scent of wood smoke permeates the Wilderness Lodge hotel. But now it seems that the practice is becoming more widespread for even the regular retail chain stores.
Among the findings that were mentioned was that scent of baby powder. Any guesses as to what you are more likely to buy when you smell it? Infant clothing and items, of course. The baby powder gives you a nice calming picture of what your perfect life will be like with your baby at home, I imagine.
Other scents mentioned that influence purchases include the sent of lilac for purchasing intimate apparel and the scent of coconut for purchasing swim wear.