This marks the start of my "Customer experience" series, exploring the ways customers experience your business.
Smell is an overwhelmingly overlooked part of the customer experience in shops and business, yet it is one of our senses which, among other things, indicates to us when something is safe, nice, to be trusted or tells us to stay away, don't eat/drink..
This story starts with a wander down Oxford Street, London, searching for shoes in the January sale melee...
I was made powerfully aware of the importance of enticement not just by sight, but by smell. I don't know about you, but I've always been subconsciously aware of the smell in H&M (a clothing retailer) on the high street. Every time I walk past it, without even looking, I know I'm outside or in the vicinity of H&M.
The smell of that shop, whilst not disgusting or vile, is specific, odd and therefore memorable. So when I walked past there this January I thought "Oh it's H&M, their jeans are good value and well coloured*.." I don't particularly like the smell of it actually but it is very strongly linked in my mind with that particular shop. The only shop in the world I remember for its smell... That is extraordinarily powerful.
It takes from the idea of the sweet shop when you were a kid, if you ever went to them. That distinct heady chocolatey smell combined with the sugar and sour smell of those gelatinous sweets. Then knowing that soon all of these treats, or at least some, will be mine.. or yours.. but hopefully mine.
Take that a step further. The thrill of buying, clothes which I like and like on me, combined with that smell positively reinforces my association with that smell and because that smell is the shop to me I have a rounded sensual positive association with the shop.
It's really quite beautiful. So why are other shops not doing this? Or are they...? That is the beauty of this experience enriching device. The power of an association may not be as clear as the H&M example, but here are some others:
*As my twitter followers and friends will attest to, I do like a nice brightly shaded jean...
Smell is an overwhelmingly overlooked part of the customer experience in shops and business, yet it is one of our senses which, among other things, indicates to us when something is safe, nice, to be trusted or tells us to stay away, don't eat/drink..
This story starts with a wander down Oxford Street, London, searching for shoes in the January sale melee...
I was made powerfully aware of the importance of enticement not just by sight, but by smell. I don't know about you, but I've always been subconsciously aware of the smell in H&M (a clothing retailer) on the high street. Every time I walk past it, without even looking, I know I'm outside or in the vicinity of H&M.
The smell of that shop, whilst not disgusting or vile, is specific, odd and therefore memorable. So when I walked past there this January I thought "Oh it's H&M, their jeans are good value and well coloured*.." I don't particularly like the smell of it actually but it is very strongly linked in my mind with that particular shop. The only shop in the world I remember for its smell... That is extraordinarily powerful.
It takes from the idea of the sweet shop when you were a kid, if you ever went to them. That distinct heady chocolatey smell combined with the sugar and sour smell of those gelatinous sweets. Then knowing that soon all of these treats, or at least some, will be mine.. or yours.. but hopefully mine.
Take that a step further. The thrill of buying, clothes which I like and like on me, combined with that smell positively reinforces my association with that smell and because that smell is the shop to me I have a rounded sensual positive association with the shop.
It's really quite beautiful. So why are other shops not doing this? Or are they...? That is the beauty of this experience enriching device. The power of an association may not be as clear as the H&M example, but here are some others:
- A home interior shop with a delicious and relaxing scent - I feel relaxed in my own home. This shop represents the way I feel at home. These objects will continue to strengthen my relaxtion
- A doctors surgery with a lemony scent - Lemon has strong ties with cleanliness and wellness
- A clothing shop with a night club/restauranty/meadowy smell - dependent on your target market inducing smell-memories may transport your audience to a mental place where they are already wearing your clothes
- Supermarkets - The great frontier...
To work with a super market to trial this theory would be brilliant. Veg and meat sections smelling earthy, fruit and salad smelling fruity, fish smelling of the sea, bakery smelling wholly of freshly baked bread, frozen smelling of an icey sea breeze, booze section smelling of a sophisticated fragrance... How much better an experience would that be?!
So consider your business - your shop fronts, shop interior, meeting rooms, offices... Piping music is a done thing, but smell - not nearly done enough!
As a caveat to this post, smell is quite a high risk when you get to particularly fragrant areas. Old lady clothes shops are renowned for this... So what ever you do, trial out the smell first!
*As my twitter followers and friends will attest to, I do like a nice brightly shaded jean...
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