Scent marketing in retail: the three golden rules

Scent marketing works when three rules are followed: the fragrance suits the business and its customers, the intensity stays discreet, and high-quality fragrance oils are used. These rules come from many years of practice in Swiss room scenting.

"If it smells musty, nobody feels like buying," says Yannick Fehr, room-scent expert at Aromadream. Fehr has been answering questions about room scenting since the days of Airdream, the predecessor of Aromadream, and accompanies scenting projects for hotels, shops and offices. He sums up the three rules like this:

Rule 1: The fragrance has to suit the business

A jeweller smells different from a sports shop, a spa different from a car showroom. "What matters is that the fragrances suit the company and its target group," says Fehr. Anyone who changes the room scent as often as the window display gives away the biggest advantage: recognition. Customers associate a consistent fragrance with the business, just as they recognise a logo or an interior.

Rule 2: Dose discreetly

The best scent marketing is sensed rather than noticed. "Don't overdo the intensity," is Fehr's second rule. He knows the counter-examples: "Some shops have overdone it in recent years and divided their customers as a result." Scenting too strongly drives away exactly the people who are sensitive to smells. Modern scent diffusers solve this technically: on Aromadream devices the intensity is set via the app or directly on the device, and on the Waterless Scent Diffuser Nova additionally via schedules for opening and quiet hours.

Rule 3: Quality instead of air fresheners

"They have to be quality products, because nobody wants to shop in an atmosphere that reminds them of cheap room sprays," says Fehr. Aromadream develops and produces its own fragrance creations in Switzerland; the fragrance oils comply with IFRA standards. In Dubai, all eight creations are available in the fragrance oils collection.

What technology is behind professional scent marketing?

In commercial use, electric scent diffusers have become the standard, often also called aroma diffusers or scent machines. They release the room scent continuously and can be set precisely. Aromadream relies on waterless diffusers: cold-air diffusion atomises the fragrance oil pure, without water and without heat, so the fragrance arrives the way it was composed. The range in Dubai reaches from the compact Diffuser Smart for small to medium rooms to the Nova for areas of around 40 to 50 m², with optional connection to the ventilation system (HVAC), and the Aura New for areas up to 250 m².

What scent marketing is not

One point is particularly important to Fehr: room scenting is not there to cover up bad smells. "Anyone who does that has not understood the concept of room scenting." Ventilation remains ventilation. The fragrance belongs where guests and customers should feel at ease: in the hotel lobby, in the waiting room, in the shop or the boutique.

How to start with scent marketing

Choose a fragrance from the fragrance oils collection and a device from the fragrance devices collection, or write to us via the contact page or on WhatsApp at +971 55 335 4787. Every diffuser comes with a 12-month warranty and setup assistance.

About the author: Yannick Fehr is a room-scent and scent-marketing expert with more than ten years in room scenting, first with Airdream, now with Aromadream. He accompanies scenting projects for hotels, retail and offices in Switzerland. Aromadream is a Swiss brand; its fragrance creations are developed and produced in Switzerland (aromadream.ch). AromaDream Dubai brings the range to the UAE.