Scent Marketing:: the Effectiveness of Complex vs. Simple Scents

The importance of store environment, which enhances the shopping experience of consumers and therefore increases sales, has long been understood by retailers. Past research has shown that music, design and other ambient characteristics of a store can significantly alter consumer behavior. More recent research has also shown that pleasant scents are capable of altering the consumer's perception of the store environment. While previous research has primarily focused on whether or not scents have an effect on the consumer, the goal of this study was to investigate if and how different scents may provoke different consumer reactions in a store environment. Over three hundred people were exposed to scents of different complexity levels. These findings corroborate with previous research in that they confirm that odors are capable of altering behaviour, while furthering our theoretical knowledge about the impact and importance of odor complexity.