Use of Consumer Neuroscience in the Choice of Aromatisation as Part of the Shopping Atmosphere and a Way to Increase Sales Volume

Abstract

The point of purchase is considered to be one of the few communication channels that is not yet saturated, and it has a relatively large potential for the future. A pleasant smell is also part of the shopping atmosphere. How smell affects customer behaviour and purchasing decisions is addressed by a relatively young scientific field, one of the existing kinds of sensory marketing—aroma marketing, otherwise called aromachology. Smell has mainly a subconscious influence; therefore, its examination is appropriate to be carried out using consumer neuroscience tools. This paper examined the perception of the shopping atmosphere in Slovak grocery shops and comprehensive interdisciplinary research on the impact of selected aromatic compounds on the cognitive and affective processes of the consumer, as well as the evaluation of the effectiveness of their implementation in food retail establishments. At the end of the paper, we recommend the possibilities of effective selection and the implementation of aromatisation of different premises, by which the retailer can achieve not only a more positive perception of the shopping atmosphere, but also an increase in retail turnover in individual sales sections.

Factor structure and psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Odor Awareness Scale

“…Our environment is replete with various stimuli that engage various sensory modalities, and among them, olfactory stimuli wield significant influence over behavior, cognition, and emotion ( 1–5 ). For instance, astute retailers arrange pleasant fragrances to promote sales ( 6 , 7 ), while the perception of body odor in romantic encounters influences partner selection ( 8 ). However, considerable individual differences can be found in the degree of impact of odors on people and their awareness of them ( 3 , 9 ).…”

Peculiarities of sensory marketing

“…For example, an olfactory marketing strategy should be to make the customer's first experience with the brand memorable by sending samples to potential customers in exchange for a click or email. Berčík et al (2022) mentioned that pleasant smell is also part of the shopping atmosphere. How scent affects customer behaviour and purchasing decisions examines a relatively young field of science, one of the existing types of sensory marketing -aroma marketing, otherwise known as aromachology.…”

“…Scent has a largely subconscious influence; therefore, conducting its research using consumer neuroscience tools is appropriate. Berčík et al (2022) examined the shopping atmosphere in Slovak grocery stores. They comprehensively conducted interdisciplinary studies on the cognitive and affective influence of selected aromatic compound user processes and evaluated their implementation efficiency in food retail companies.…”