Scent in Retail Stores: What Research Says About Perception, Spending and Brand
Shoppers judge a store with all their senses. Lighting, music and layout get a lot of attention; scent often doesn't, even though it's the first thing people meet as they step in from a busy street or mall corridor. Used well, ambient scent can make a store feel more inviting and help it stay in customers' minds.
What the research says
A few well-known studies give useful context:
- Shoppers rated a store and its products more favourably when the store was softly scented than when it wasn't[1].
- In a study in a real store, a simple, easy-to-recognise scent was linked to higher spending, while a more complex scent didn't show the same effect[2].
- A pleasant ambient scent helped people remember and recognise brands, particularly brands they didn't already know[3].
These findings come from specific settings and are not a promise that any store will sell more. What they do show is that scent affects how people perceive a space and a brand, and that the type of scent matters.
Choosing a scent for your store
Fit the brand and the products.
Fresh, clean scents often suit fashion, electronics and modern lifestyle stores. Warmer, woodier scents can suit furniture, leather goods and premium showrooms. The scent should feel like part of the store, not a separate statement.
Keep it simple.
A clear, easy-to-read scent tends to work better than a complicated blend[2].
Think about your customers.
A store full of families at the weekend needs a lighter, more neutral approach than a quiet boutique visited by appointment.
Placing scent in a store
- Entrance: where the scent should first be noticed. In a mall, the shopfront meets air from the corridor, so placement needs care.
- Main floor and display areas: a steady, moderate level.
- Fitting rooms: very light, because customers spend time in a small, closed space.
- Checkout: staff stand here all day, so keep units away from the counter.
- Perfume or cosmetics testers, and food: keep these areas unscented so smells don't mix.
Brand perception builds over time
A store scent supports brand perception only if it's consistent: the same scent, at the same level, every day and in every branch. A scent that runs out at the weekend or changes from month to month can't build recognition.
How to review it
Note how things stand before you start, such as customer comments, time spent in store and sales trends, and look again after several weeks of consistent scenting. Compare against your own starting point rather than expecting a set result.
How DuraScent helps retailers
We survey your store, recommend placement and a scent from our Scent Library of 40+ fragrances from European fragrance houses, and let you try it free for 3 days. Our team refills and maintains the units with a monthly Preventive Maintenance Visit, and the schedule follows your opening hours.
Scent supports atmosphere and impressions. It isn't a guarantee of higher sales or ROI.
Sources
Citations are shown in their original English; DOI links open the publisher’s record in a new tab.
- Spangenberg, E. R., Crowley, A. E., & Henderson, P. W. (1996). Improving the store environment: Do olfactory cues affect evaluations and behaviors? Journal of Marketing, 60(2), 67–80. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224299606000205
- Herrmann, A., Zidansek, M., Sprott, D. E., & Spangenberg, E. R. (2013). The power of simplicity: Processing fluency and the effects of olfactory cues on retail sales. Journal of Retailing, 89(1), 30–43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretai.2012.08.002
- Morrin, M., & Ratneshwar, S. (2003). Does it make sense to use scents to enhance brand memory? Journal of Marketing Research, 40(1), 10–25. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.40.1.10.19128
