Scent Marketing Plays A Growing Role In Attracting Customers

Though scent marketing is a complex science – it can attract customers but also irritate neighbors – it is all the rage among retail stores, high-end apartment buildings and hotels, even senior living facilities. A company benefiting from the trend is Scentair Technologies Inc., a large seller of scent diffusers. A spokesman says sweet smells like brown sugar and apple work well, but "cooked food" aromas smell inauthentic. Scent marketing especially benefits stores that naturally create enticing aromas. And they are doing whatever they can to enhance that advantage. Bakery chain Cinnabon puts its ovens near the front of stores to get the most from the aroma of warm cinnamon rolls. Panera Bread is reassigning its baking staff to day shifts so customers will smell the bread as it bakes.