How Does Your Store Smell?
It Matters
This article is based on a very popular post from another platform I use. I am not sure why it did so well there. Maybe it will connect here also….
Companies like Cinnabon and Starbucks are experts at smells. Walk into many department stores and you will be assailed by designer fragrances.
“Most people are processing them at an unconscious level, but it is impacting them,” says Eric Spangenberg, a pioneer in the field and dean of the Washington State University College of Business.
Smell is one more piece of a customer’s shopping experience. With thrift in particular it’s important to combat potential negative thrift smells that are a natural part of receiving and selling second-hand goods.
Walk in a tire store and the smell of tires is reassuring. Walk into a bakery and that smell of bread and ingredients feels good. Walk into a Starbucks and you need your coffee hit even more. Walk into a thrift store… and?
What should a thrift store smell like? More importantly, what shouldn’t a thrift store smell like?
If you work in thrift I don’t have to mention how raw donations sometimes smell.
According to one retail study, people spent about 20% more with a simple orange scent.
The best weapons in Thrift
Quality goods on the floor make a huge difference. Especially in textiles, well-cared-for donated goods are least likely to have a used smell.
That donation that spent too long in a damp basement or musty attic shouldn’t even be mixed in with salvage goods. One bag of smelly clothing can contaminate a whole batch of good donated goods.
Shoes can be problematic. Some sprays can be applied to shoes to alleviate those smells. This can be especially helpful in the summertime.
One of the best defenses is an automated aerosol-scented spray system throughout the store. Companies like Air-Aroma and others have offerings that address these needs.
“There are other reasons why certain scents may encourage people to shop. Simple scents are the most effective, according to a 2012 Washington State University and the University of St. Gallen, Spangenberg in Switzerland study published in the Journal of Retailing.
Analyzing the spending of 400 shoppers over 18 days in a home-decorations store, people spent about 20% more with a simple orange scent instead of a more complicated orange basil blended with green tea. The former scent was just enough to make them feel good, but not too pungent to distract them from the task at hand: shopping.”
Excerpt from Shopify Article:
Moreover, shoppers perceive scented areas as high-end and luxurious. An older but relevant study by Nike showed that customers were 84% more likely to buy shoes in a scented environment versus a non-scented environment. They were also willing to pay 10% to 20% more in scented environments for products they wanted.
Ambient scenting is the easiest scent marketing to deploy for small businesses. It’s more discreet than an aroma billboard and doesn’t need to be brand specific. Some retailers will use a single fragrance, while others will place different scents in specific departments.
Common ambient scents include:
Florals, to encourage buyers to linger in your store
Leather evokes a feeling of luxury and opulence
Fresh linen, gives a crisp, clean feel
Lavender for relaxation
Vanilla elevates the mood
What to do:
Empower front-line staff to dispose of items that smell bad. Clothes that have obviously been in a basement for too long, are damp to wet subtract value from the whole. The shoes that smell like a locker room. There seems to be a huge multiplier effect with unpleasant odors.
Don’t store textiles for any longer than necessary. A bin of clothing will all smell alike before long. If they must be stored, store them in a cool dry location. Preferably with relatively low humidity.
Always take donated clothing out of bags and boxes.
Frebreeze every rack of goods going to the sales floor.
Consider special shoe sprays.
Use automatic scent stations throughout the facility, especially in the general area of fitting rooms, shoes, and in the donation area.
Pay attention to this sometimes overlooked thrift store detail.
Proactively managing store scents makes for more pleasant shopping and work experiences, and improves sales.
Thrift Retailer - Dedicated to the business of thrift.
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