Can a smell sell?
The new-car smell isn’t what it used to be. At least not at Land Rover South Dade in Miami, where shoppers are greeted with subtle scents of cedar, vanilla and violet.
General Manager Mark de la Cruz infuses the dealership with a custom-built smell called “My Way” to ensure that his vehicles don’t smell like other fresh cars.
“This store needed a cultural switch,” he said. “We had to switch our style of customer service, and aroma became a big component in that.”
The fragrance comes in through the ventilation system and spreads from ceiling panels above the sales pavilion and service department.
“It puts customers into a different framework of mind. There’s a lot of apprehension about making a large purchase such as a luxury automobile,” de la Cruz said. “The combination of scents and sounds makes the practice more soothing for them.”
De la Cruz was also intrigued with using smell to unlock memories, thinking that perhaps shoppers would associate fond recollections of their vehicles with Land Rover South Dade.
Scientists have found that when an individual sniffs something,​ olfactory nerves near the top of the nose, in charge of smells, send input to the amygdala portion of the brain, which is linked to memories. That creates the connection among smell, memory and emotion, which helps explain the nostalgic feeling known as the Proustian effect.
“Some smells are associated widely with glad times or places, and can bring back a general feeling of those times,” said Howard Eichenbaum, a psychologist and neuroscientist at Boston University.
Car shoppers in scented surroundings, when compared with those in a fragrance-free environment, tend to remain longer or believe that they have spent less time in the showroom than they have, according to Farah Abassi, holder of Aroma360, the Boca Raton, Fla., odor marketing agency that designed Land Rover South Dade’s custom-built smells.
“It’s indeed about very first impressions,” Abassi said. “When you walk in the front door, you want other unpleasant smells to be masked and instead feel tones of sophistication, dependability and trust.”
Consumers indicate a greater desire to buy and a preparedness to pay higher prices when tailored aromas are piped in, Abassi said. “There’s a excellent deal of research on this,” she said. “Ambiance has everything to do with high-end purchases.”
The atmosphere inwards the dealership seems to positively influence shoppers’ moods, de la Cruz said.
“Many of my clients come in and make a note about how the scents make them feel,” he said, adding that the smell differentiates Land Rover South Dade from other luxury dealerships.
Do smells make people spend?
De la Cruz thinks they might play a part, but he declined to give figures on Land Rover South Dade’s sales before and after introducing the scents.
“When you’re in the luxury auto space, that client has more resources and thus price doesn’t become a large factor for them. If someone is going to spend money anywhere they want, the practice, the atmosphere, the smell makes them that much more convenient,” de la Cruz said. “The more convenient a customer is, the more willing they are to buy.”
Land Rover South Dade attempts to set mood with custom-built smell
Can a smell sell?
The new-car smell isn’t what it used to be. At least not at Land Rover South Dade in Miami, where shoppers are greeted with subtle scents of cedar, vanilla and violet.
General Manager Mark de la Cruz infuses the dealership with a custom-built odor called “My Way” to ensure that his vehicles don’t smell like other fresh cars.
“This store needed a cultural switch,” he said. “We had to switch our style of customer service, and aroma became a big component in that.”
The fragrance comes in through the ventilation system and spreads from ceiling panels above the sales pavilion and service department.
“It puts customers into a different framework of mind. There’s a lot of apprehension about making a large purchase such as a luxury automobile,” de la Cruz said. “The combination of scents and sounds makes the practice more soothing for them.”
De la Cruz was also intrigued with using smell to unlock memories, thinking that perhaps shoppers would associate fond recollections of their vehicles with Land Rover South Dade.
Scientists have found that when an individual sniffs something,​ olfactory nerves near the top of the nose, in charge of smells, send input to the amygdala portion of the brain, which is linked to memories. That creates the connection among smell, memory and emotion, which helps explain the nostalgic feeling known as the Proustian effect.
“Some smells are associated widely with glad times or places, and can bring back a general feeling of those times,” said Howard Eichenbaum, a psychologist and neuroscientist at Boston University.
Car shoppers in scented surroundings, when compared with those in a fragrance-free environment, tend to remain longer or believe that they have spent less time in the showroom than they have, according to Farah Abassi, holder of Aroma360, the Boca Raton, Fla., smell marketing agency that designed Land Rover South Dade’s custom-made smells.
“It’s indeed about very first impressions,” Abassi said. “When you walk in the front door, you want other unpleasant smells to be masked and instead feel tones of sophistication, dependability and trust.”
Consumers indicate a greater desire to buy and a readiness to pay higher prices when tailored aromas are piped in, Abassi said. “There’s a excellent deal of research on this,” she said. “Ambiance has everything to do with high-end purchases.”
The atmosphere inwards the dealership seems to positively influence shoppers’ moods, de la Cruz said.
“Many of my clients come in and make a note about how the scents make them feel,” he said, adding that the smell differentiates Land Rover South Dade from other luxury dealerships.
Do smells make people spend?
De la Cruz thinks they might play a part, but he declined to give figures on Land Rover South Dade’s sales before and after introducing the scents.
“When you’re in the luxury auto space, that client has more resources and thus price doesn’t become a large factor for them. If someone is going to spend money anywhere they want, the practice, the atmosphere, the smell makes them that much more convenient,” de la Cruz said. “The more comfy a customer is, the more willing they are to buy.”