How Effective Is Scent in Marketing Eco-Friendly Products?

Everywhere you go, you see products that are labeled as “green” or eco-friendly and this trend is only gathering momentum as consumers demand products that are sustainable, organic and free from harmful chemicals.

In fact, almost half of Americans value being environmentally conscious over a growing economy and 90% of consumers consider environmental impact when making a purchase.

A study recently published in the Global Journal of Commerce & Management Perspective examined how using scent marketing impacted consumers’ perceptions and behavior when it comes to buying green products. The products included environmentally sourced and processed textiles and environmentally friendly FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) products such as packaged foods and consumable items like toothpaste, makeup and over the counter medicine.

The researchers surveyed customers in an unscented store and in the same store when scented with a green herbal fragrance. Scent marketing significantly impacted consumers’ in a variety of different ways.

Attention getting product display

When asked if the products on display caught their attention, consumers were more than twice as likely (211% compared to unscented) to say yes in the scented store environment.

Product interest

Once the consumer noticed the products on display, the next step was to become interested in the products. Once again, the scented environment performed much better than the unscented store. Scenting sparked 187% more people to say they were interested in the products themselves.

Desire to purchase

Consistent with the other findings, consumers felt more desire to purchase the eco-friendly products when scent was present. Nearly twice as many people said they wanted to buy the products in the scented environment vs. the unscented store.

Purchase intent

Finally, scent positively impacted the willingness of consumers to buy the products by more than double that in the unscented environment.

If you sell eco-friendly products, you can sell more of them by highlighting their sustainable characteristics in your displays and also by using a fresh, green scent in your store.

Contact your Air Esscentials rep to find out the best way to scent your store and increase your sales.