How Scent Influences Shopping Behaviour

Retailers craft every detail of their stores to shape how customers feel, and scent is a subtle but powerful tool.

Why Scent Matters

Scent is directly linked to memory and emotion, more than any other sense. When customers enter a space that smells pleasant or familiar, they’re more likely to feel comfortable, linger longer, and make purchases.

Here’s what we know about scent in retail:

• A pleasant scent can increase time spent in-store often leading to higher sales, and lingering dwell time.
  
  
• Scented environments are more memorable. Shoppers are more likely to recall their experience and associate it with your brand.
  
  
• Specific fragrances can shape brand perception, reinforcing how customers feel about your space: luxurious, relaxed, energetic, or comforting.

Scent as Part of Brand Identity

Just as colours, music, and layout shape how customers perceive a brand, scent plays a powerful yet often underestimated role in creating the overall feel of a space.

• A spa might diffuse lavender or eucalyptus to signal calm, cleanliness, and relaxation
  
  
• A high-end store might choose scents of white tea, sandalwood, or amber to create an atmosphere of sophistication, exclusivity, and luxury.
  
  
• We all know the smell of a bakery with warm scents of vanilla, cinnamon, or freshly baked bread which connects you to nostalgia, comfort, and home

These choices aren’t random. They’re strategic.

Tips for Using Scent in Retail

To use scent effectively:

• Match the scent to your brand’s personality (Luxury = white tea/cedarwood, Energetic = citrus with a pop of mint, Earthy = lavender, sage and sandalwood).
  
  
• Keep it subtle. Overpowering fragrance can drive customers away.
  
  
• Maintain consistency. Use the same scent across locations for subconscious brand recall.
  
  
• Explore additional revenue lines like candles and room spray fragrances to place your brand right inside customers homes.
  
  

The Takeaway

Scent isn’t just an extra, it’s a strategic design and marketing tool.

When used intentionally, it elevates the customer experience, reinforces brand identity, and influences behaviour, without using a single word.

The right scent can make a space unforgettable and quietly drive recall and loyalty in the background.