More Stores, Hotels Show Scentimental Side

By Christopher Boyd and Mark Chediak
Orlando Sentinel
July 7, 2006

Michele Wallace took a deep whiff as she strolled through the lobby of the Westin Grand Bohemian in downtown Orlando, savoring a delicate aroma emanating from a hidden aerosol machine.

"Very calming," said Wallace, who lives in Southern California. "I'm into aromatherapy, and I like this. Very subtle."

Westin began pumping the fragrance, which it calls white tea, into its hotels' public spaces several months ago, joining a trend sweeping the retail and hospitality industries.

Aromas are on marketing's cutting edge. Westin hopes that its travel-weary guests will unwind as they inhale white tea, but it also wants them to associate the smell with the hotel itself, creating an olfactory dimension for its brand.

"Smell becomes another level of decor," said Rachel Herz, a Brown University psychologist who has studied the commercial uses of odors. "Aromas reach people on a visceral and emotional level."

Just as supermarkets pipe in Muzak to put shoppers in a buying mood, businesses that use scent hope to create positive connections with whatever they are selling. A coffee shop might add a hint of mocha to the air, planting a subliminal suggestion that could lead to a sale.

Even theme parks have harnessed aromas. At Walt Disney World, a bake-shop float pumps out the smell of ginger in Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Parade. A candy-house float in the same park emits a scent of cotton candy, and even the Christmas tree broadcasts a fir-tree aroma.

Though shoppers may not be aware of it, retailers have used a plethora of aromas for years. The idea, said Bart Weitz, executive director of the Center for Retailing at the University of Florida, is to "create a pleasant shopping environment for people to stay in the store longer and buy more."

The scents can help drive home that retailer's product line. Some clothing stores use a delicate linenfragrance to focus customers' thoughts on new garments. In the lodging industry, hotels are using pleasingodors to impart feelings of well-being.

But the strategy isn't without risk. Smell can trigger unpredictable reactions. A smell that conjures pleasant associations for one person could be linked to a terrifying memory for someone else. So developing commercial aromas is complicated.

Stores try to pump in enough of a scent to achieve the desired effect without overwhelming the shopper.

"You don't really need to hit people with a baseball bat with a smell," said David Martin, who developed a scent-deployment system out of his Windermere garage in the mid-1990s.

Martin went on to start his own company called ScentAir, which he sold to an investment group severalyears ago. His retail clients include Bloomingdale's, Macy's, Nordstrom and Saks Fifth Avenue.

The Orlando Bloomingdale's scents its lingerie department with lilac. And just in time for summer, the high-end department store recently started pumping in a coconut-and-suntan-oil scent in its women's swimwearsection.

"It's like you're at the beach," said Dana Weiss, spokeswoman for Bloomingdale's.

Clare Durante, 50, said she didn't sniff anything out of the ordinary while browsing for a new summer suitrecently.

When told that the store pumps in certain smells, Durante did a quick re-evaluation.

"When I walk into Bloomingdale's, I do feel good," she said. "I never thought about it, but perhaps it's thescent."

Other retailers are less guarded about their motives. The M&M's World store in the Florida Mall pumps outa chocolate smell at its entrances to entice customers.

Lynette Lucero, assistant store director, said the chocolate scent helps get customers in the mood to indulge.

Lori Howe, 44, who came out of the store carrying two bright-yellow bags filled with M&Ms and other gifts, said she liked the scent that pervades the store.

"I expected to smell chocolate, and it doesn't surprise me that they pump the smell in," Howe said.

ScentAir Technologies Inc, founded in 2000, is the leading provider of aroma marketing solutions for brands and retailers. ScentAir enables businesses to create a unique in-store experience by engaging memory and emotions through patented scent delivery systems. Proven to enhance the appeal of any environment, these pioneering scent machines can be customized to reflect even the most challenging environment or brand. ScentAir is a privately held company located in Charlotte, NC.

For additional information contact Murray Dameron at 704-504-2320.