Scent in Motion: On the Multiple Uses of Ambient Scent in the Context of Passenger Transport

There is undoubtedly growing interest in the role of scent in the design of multisensory experiences. However, to date, the majority of the research has focused on its use in the (static) built environment. As highlighted by this narrative review, somewhat different challenges and opportunities arise just as soon as one starts to consider olfaction in the case of transportation–what might be called “scent in motion.” For instance, levels of anxiety/stress while traveling are often higher (especially in the case of air travel), while, at the same time, the passenger's personal space is frequently compromised. Four key functional roles for scent in the context of passenger transportation are outlined. They include the masking of malodour, the introduction of branded signature scents, short-term olfactory marketing interventions, and the functional use of scent to enhance the experience of travel. In the latter case, one might consider the use of scent to help reduce the stress/anxiety amongst airplane passengers or to give the impression of cleanliness. Meanwhile, in the case of driving, scents have been suggested as an inoffensive means of alerting/relaxing the driver and may also help tackle the problem of motion sickness. The specific challenges associated with scent in motion are reviewed and a number of future opportunities highlighted.

Scenting the Anosmic Cube: On the Use of Ambient Scent in the Context of the Art Gallery or Museum

In recent years, there has been growing interest in the possibility of augmenting the visitor’s experience of the exhibits in various art galleries and museums by means of the delivery of a genuinely multisensory experience, one that engages more than just the visual sense. This kind of approach both holds the promise of increasing engagement while, at the same time, also helping to address, in some small way, issues around accessibility for the visually impaired visitor. One of the increasingly popular approaches to enhancing multisensory experience design involves the use of scents that have been chosen to match, or augment, the art or museum display in some way. The various different kinds of congruency between olfaction and vision that have been investigated by researchers and/or incorporated into art/museum displays already are reviewed. However, while the laboratory research does indeed appear to suggest that people’s experience of the paintings (or rather reproductions or photos of the works of art) may well be influenced by the presence of an ambient odour, the results are by no means guaranteed to be positive, either in terms of the emotional response while viewing the display or in terms of the viewer’s subsequent recall of their multisensory experience. As such, caution is advised for those who may be considering whether to augment their multisensory displays/exhibits with ambient scent.

Scent Marketing – Harnessing the Power of Scents in stimulating senses of Organized Retail Consumers and Employees

‘Scent’ has a tremendous influence on the way people shop and relate to brands. Branding has always been about establishing emotional ties between the brand and the customer. By influencing the senses, brands can establish a stronger and longer lasting emotional connection with the customer and finally be memorable. While research doesn't clearly point to pleasant smells boosting sales, stores are embracing scent marketing as a way to create exciting store ambience. The present study is an attempt to examine the impact of ambient Scent on the customers’ and employees’ of organized retail stores.

Ambient Scent as a Positive Distraction in Long-Term Care Units: Theory of Supportive Design

Aim: This study was designed to explore the associations between an ambient scent environment and residents’ wellness in long-term care facilities. Background: The number of older adults living in an institutional setting has been steadily but slowly increasing. Because of a higher chance of having psychological disorders among people living in institutional settings than people living in noninstitutional settings, providing a supportive institutional setting is critical to enhance their wellness. The theory of supportive design suggests healthcare facilities can lower people’s stress levels via three conditions (i.e., perceived control, social support, and positive distractions). Method: A single-blind and placebo-randomized controlled study investigated the impacts of ambient scent environment, as a positive distraction, on residents’ depression levels. The recruited residents ( N = 58) were randomly assigned into either the intervention group, which received a 1% dilution of lavender scent for 2 weeks nearby their bedside or the placebo group, which received a nonscent for 2 weeks. Results: Their depression levels were measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale. Based on the t tests, both intervention and placebo groups had improvement in depression, indicating a placebo effect of lavender scent. Further regression analyses explored the interaction effects of built environments (e.g., building, distance to a ventilation system, and square footage). However, no statistically significant impact of the built environment was found. Conclusion: Despite a placebo effect of ambient scent environment and nonsignificant built environment on depression, this study has valuable implications of being a positive distraction during the healing process as developed by the Theory of Supportive design.

Do ambient scents affect customers’ behavioral responses at fashion stores in Vietnam?

This research aims to study the effect of a carefully selected congruent and simple ambient scent in a real-world shop setting and to study how scent affects shopper’s mood and behavior. Using electrostatic aroma diffusers, the research applies a carefully selecting vanilla scent at two fashion stores in district 6 and district Tan Binh. The results show that the scent has a significant positive effect on shopper’s fashion store emotion’s state (pleasure and arousal), and emotion’s state of customer has a significant positive effect on behavioral responses of shopper (time spent in-store, amount of money spending and intention of a revisit of the customer). Implications for marketing and store management are discussed.

Warm Ambient Scents Nudge Consumers to Favour Premium Brands and Right-Wing Parties

Marketing has started exploring ambient scents’ diverse effects and the psychological mechanisms through which they affect consumer behaviour. Recent research focuses on ambient scents’ perceived temperature’s impact on consumer behaviour. In this research, we first replicate prior research by showing that consumers exposed to a warm (vs. cool) ambient scent prefer premium over regular brands – also in an FMCG context. Broadening the perspective, we show that ambient scent’s effect can be generalized to general elections. Specifically, we present initial evidence that the diffusion of a warm (vs. cool) ambient scent nudges potential voters to opt for right-wing instead of moderate political parties. We conjecture that the effect of perceived scent temperature on brand preferences and voting behaviour is a symbolic way of compensating for temperature perceptions.

Olfactory Cues of Restaurant Wait Staff Modulate Patrons’ Dining Experiences and Behavior

Ambient scents at retail stores have been found to modulate customer perceptions and attitudes toward retail products and stores. Although ambient scent effects have also been observed in restaurant settings, little is known about the scent-related influences of restaurant wait staff on patron perception and behavior. This study aimed to determine whether olfactory cues from restaurant wait staff can affect patrons’ dining experiences and interpersonal behavior with respect to menu choice, flavor perception, overall liking of meal items, meal satisfaction, consumption amount, and tip amount for wait staff. A total of 213 adults with no olfactory impairments were asked to select and consume one of four chicken meat menu items: baked, broiled, fried, and smoked chicken, in a mock restaurant setting, under one of the three most likely scents of wait staff: congruent (smoky barbecue scent), fragrance (perfume scent), and no scent (control) applied to fabric aprons of wait staff. The results showed that menu choice and flavor perception of chicken meat items did not differ in the presence of the three scent conditions. The effects of wait staff scents on overall liking of chicken meat items, meal satisfaction, and tip amount for wait staff were found to differ as a function of patron gender. Female patrons gave higher ratings of overall liking and meal satisfaction under the fragrance scent condition than under the no scent condition, while male patrons showed no effect with respect to overall liking and an opposite result in the meal satisfaction. Female patrons gave larger tips to wait staff under the congruent scent condition than under the no scent condition, while male patrons exhibited no effect. Patrons also were found to consume chicken meat items the least under the congruent scent condition. In conclusion, this study provides new empirical evidence that wait staff scents at restaurants can affect patrons’ dining experiences and interpersonal behavior and that the effects of such scents vary as a function of patron gender.