Chocolate: rich, creamy, delicious, and…good for sales? According to a new study in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, the smell of the sweet wafting through book stores increases “purchase-related” behaviors in customers.
The study took place in Belgium (of course!), where researchers piped in the smell of chocolate to a bookstore for 10 days and observed how the scent affected customers. During these 10 days, researchers found that customers were twice as likely to look at multiple books with interest, and were almost three times as likely to interact with store employees and ask questions.
However, researchers did notice a trend in what the chocolate-smelling customers were interested in. The greatest effects were seen in customers perusing the food/drink and romance sections of the store, with an 40% sales increase, while the scent seemed to have less of an effect on those customers browsing sections like crime novels or historical fiction, with only a 22% sales increase.
While this study was conducted in a bookstore, these effects are sure to be seen in other businesses as well. Chocolate would be a great fragrance for candy stores, lingerie shops and more. Luckily, Air Aroma has multiple chocolate-based fragrances to choose from! Entice your customers with scents like Chocolate Chip Cookies, Choc Berries, Choc Orange, or just plain Chocolate! Just don’t be surprised if they start asking you where the food is!
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