The use of ambient scents in stores: a case study in the clothing industry

With increased digitalization and the growth of e-commerce, it has become essential for stores to offer something unique to their customers, something they can’t find online. Experiential marketing has proved to be a key element as it enables retailers to create a unique in-store experience. More precisely, sensory marketing connects customers with the store by stimulating all their senses. For many years, retailers have exploited the potential of music, lighting and colors to create an atmosphere that can positively influence consumers in their purchasing process. However, the benefits of scents are not very well known. The sense of smell has been long neglected, and it is only recently that some retailers have turned to ambient scents to create an emotional bond with the customer. However, this thesis, through the reading of the existing literature and the field experiment, has proved that ambient scents can induce favorable behaviors for the PoS. Indeed, in the presence of an ambient scent, consumers’ emotional reactions, such as their level of well-being, and cognitive reactions, such as their evaluation of the PoS and of the olfactory component are positively influenced. Furthermore, consumers’ intention to stay longer in the PoS, to come back more often and to purchase have also shown to be higher when a scent is diffused. These results can in part be explained by the fact that consumers’ well-being is greater in the presence of an ambient scent. When a scent is diffused, consumers like the smell of the store better, which also explains why their evaluation of the PoS in higher, their intention to stay longer increases, etc. This means that the scent that is chosen by the retailer must be congruent with the PoS, and especially be liked by the customers. In addition, it is very important that retailers take into consideration all the steps necessary for a successful sensory marketing implementation. Following our review of the literature and the field experiment we carried out, we can affirm that olfactory marketing, and more specifically the use of ambient scents does indeed influence consumers’ emotional and cognitive responses in the points of sale in the clothing industry. Thanks to our mediation analyses, we can further say that this can be in part explained by the fact that consumers’ well-being and appreciation of smell in the PoS is greater in the presence of a scent, thereby enhancing positively their emotional and cognitive reactions.