New Technology Increases Scent of Shopping

No fewer than three industry spokespeople have recently issued puffs (pun intended) agreeing with the British queen of shopping Mary Portas about the value of scenting stores.

Ms. Portas is currently fronting a Secret Shopper series focused especially on customer experience and how it can (and should) be improved. She is cited by scent manufacturers, Ambius, as a proponent of the theory behind their products (although not endorsing the company). Their product is more about "sophistication," according to managing director, Jeanette Van Roy, who cited as evidence "retailers such as Abercrombie and Fitch using their own specially created scents within their shops to create a complete brand experience." By diffusing a chosen scent in specific areas of a store, it can be used to "highlight a special promotion."

Canadian "scent technology pioneers" Mood Media makes similar promises. Its chief executive, Lorne Abony, was quoted in the Daily Telegraph explaining, "If a shop smells bad, a customer will walk out. It's as simple as that. The longer you can get a customer to stay in the store, the more likely they are to buy."

Ms. Van Roy agrees. "Ambient scenting has been shown to make people stay longer in fragranced areas, and the longer they stay the more they are likely to purchase," she said in a company press release.

Meanwhile, Sue Phillips, president of Scenterprises, claims they are at the forefront of environmental scenting. Writing in Glow's Spring issue, Ms. Phillips said, "The Journal of Marketing and Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services has shown that scent can make shoppers spend more time and money in a store and make them pay more attention to a brand."

Ambius offers 25 aromas "off the shelf" from chocolate chip cookie to cucumber mint in addition to creating scents for specific brands. Mood Media's bestsellers are "Lotus Flower, a floral smell with hints of moss," and "Enchanted Apple, which has accents of musk." That said, Mr. Abony is targeting banks as future customers, admitting, "We haven't worked out the smell of money, but when we do, we know we'll be onto something."

[Author's commentary] I was recently at the Bellaggio Hotel in Las Vegas, used as an illustration by Ms. Phillips. Not only did I not notice the lavender scent but judging by the complete absence of customers in the hotel stores, no one else was seduced by it into making a purchase.

• Smello-retail: shops using scent to keep hold of customers - Daily Telegraph