Guidelines of Sensory Marketing: Effects of Vision & Smell on Consumer’s Behaviour

Nowadays, companies and markets are growing fast; and competition among their brands is hugely boosted. Big shops and supermarkets are also having a pivotal change to be able to shift from a place of old style advertisement in selling commodities and services to a new style of influencing customers through their shopping experience. In this regard, understanding of tools such as sensory parameters could be helpful. These parameters influence customers’ comprehension and affect their buying behavior. This study is carried out with the purpose of enlightening a better understanding of sensory marketing and assessing effects of vision and smell senses and their interactions on customers’ behavior at Offogh Koroush store branch in Tehran on product of semi prepared cake powder . In order for that, Visual stimulus (a banner composed of pictures of baked products) and smell stimulus (vanilla smell, the dominant smell in ingredient after baking) are used. Also in order to compare smell by its possible kinds; i.e. homogeneous and heterogeneous stimulus, another product with different smell, i.e. olive oil, is chosen to compare customer’s behavior. Results show that smell and visual stimuli, have a positive effect on customer’s behavior. Moreover, homogenous stimulus, in comparison with heterogeneous one; has a more powerful effect on customer’s behavior. So, using sensory stimulus related to the product essence can positively be affective as an approach of communicating with customers and influencing their sense.

Keywords:

Sense of Smell , Sense of vision , Sensory Marketing , Customers Behavior , Iran