Before adding a scent to your store, check the cleanliness of the premises, ventilation, and sources of unwanted odors. Remove the source of odors from rubbish, damp materials, or contaminated equipment. After that, you can test a subtle, neutral scent and see whether it benefits your store.
For an initial check, we recommend a two-week pilot—a trial run with a limited budget. Record the number of visits and purchases, costs, and feedback. A complaint about the scent or a report of sensitivity to it is grounds to stop scenting. An increase in sales alone does not prove that the scent caused it.
What research says about scent and sales
In 2012, Washington State University reported on a field experiment at a home décor store in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Over 18 weekdays, researchers observed more than 400 shoppers under three conditions: a simple orange scent, a more complex scent blend, or no added scent.
A group of about 100 shoppers who were in the store with the simple scent spent 20% more on average and bought more items. This was the result of a specific experiment in one store. It does not justify promising Ukrainian retailers a 20% sales increase or applying that figure to a different product range.
The two-week trial, low intensity, and evaluation steps below are our practical recommendations for a store. They are not conditions or findings of this study.
Prepare the premises and choose a scent
Ask the store manager to inspect the sales floor, entrance, storage areas, rubbish bins, and equipment. Check for sources of unwanted odors and make sure the ventilation is working. If the cause remains, postpone the trial until it has been removed.
For the first test, choose one uncomplicated scent at a low intensity. Here, “neutral” means that the scent does not draw undue attention or interfere with evaluating the product. This is a practical selection criterion, not a quality that everyone will perceive in the same way.
In a store where a product’s smell matters to the purchase decision, check separately that scenting does not mask the product’s own smell. This applies, for example, to perfume and scented goods. If shoppers cannot properly assess the product, stop the trial.
Before starting, calculate the full budget: device rental or purchase, scent product, delivery, installation, and maintenance. Decide in advance how much you are prepared to spend on the trial without expecting sales to increase.
How to run a two-week pilot
The owner sets the budget and decides whether to continue. The store manager is responsible for setup, daily records, and stopping the scenting. Sales staff pass on shoppers’ feedback and their own observations.
- Choose a period without scenting for comparison. Ideally, use the same weekdays and opening hours as for the upcoming pilot.
- Record the baseline figures: visits, purchases, revenue, and the amount left from sales after direct costs.
- Run one scent for two weeks. Record the device location, intensity setting, and operating hours.
- Record the figures, feedback, and circumstances that may have changed sales each day: promotions, stock deliveries, popular items being unavailable, or schedule changes.
- When the trial ends, compare the results, subtract the pilot costs, and decide whether another test is needed.
It is best to keep the settings consistent during the trial. If you change the intensity, record the date and reason: results before and after the change were obtained under different conditions.
Stop scenting if a shopper or employee complains about the smell or reports sensitivity to it. Record the report and the device settings. Sales figures do not override this reason to stop.
What data to record each day
| Metric | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Number of visits | Count visits the same way during the comparison period and the pilot. Decide in advance how to account for repeat entries and employees. |
| Number of purchases | Use the same counting rule. For example, count completed sales and record returns separately. |
| Purchases per 100 visits | Divide the number of completed sales by the number of visits and multiply by 100. This metric helps compare periods with different footfall. It does not show the share of visits that resulted in a purchase: several completed sales can occur during one visit. |
| Revenue and sales contribution | Apply the same rule to discounts, returns, the purchase cost of goods sold, and other direct costs. |
| Scenting costs | Record all costs required for the trial. |
| Feedback and changes in conditions | Record complaints, device stoppages, promotions, assortment changes, and other circumstances that affect the comparison. |
Illustrative calculation of the result
Suppose that over two weeks without scenting, the store had 2,000 visits and 200 purchases. Purchases per 100 visits were: 200 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = 10.
During the two-week pilot, the store had the same 2,000 visits and 220 purchases. Purchases per 100 visits were: 220 ÷ 2,000 × 100 = 11. There were 20 more purchases in total, or one additional purchase for every 100 visits.
In this illustrative example, the average contribution per purchase is UAH 100 in both periods. Contribution is the amount left after the purchase cost of goods sold and other direct costs. The difference in contribution is therefore: 20 × UAH 100 = UAH 2,000.
If the trial cost UAH 1,500, after subtracting those costs, UAH 500 remains: 2,000 − 1,500 = 500. This is the result before fixed costs and taxes. All figures are examples and are not equipment prices or a forecast for your store.
This calculation also does not prove that the scent caused the additional purchases. Seasonality, promotions, the shopper mix, and the assortment may have affected the result. If the average contribution per purchase changed, compare the actual total contribution for each period.
When to continue testing
If there were no complaints, the conditions in both periods were similar, and the difference in contribution covered the scenting costs, you can run another pilot. It will help check whether the result recurs on other days.
If prices, promotions, or the assortment changed at the same time, assess the result with caution. Repeat the comparison under more stable conditions if needed. If costs were not covered or complaints arose, stop scenting. Keep the records so that your next decision is based on your store’s data.
Research source
Washington State University: report on research into simple scent and retail sales, November 26, 2012.
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