Although at first glance there may not seem to be much of a relationship, sensory marketing is leading many brands to success.
What do the senses and a company’s sales growth have in common? Although it may not seem so, sensory marketing is leading many brands to success that have used the emotional component, in combination with our five senses, to capture the customer’s attention and make their purchase an experience that lets them become a regular consumer of the brand.
According to research by the consultancy Sensori-k, a 65-year-old person has seen more than 2 million advertisements, while every day more than 3,500 messages play on the channels most used by a consumer. This is reinforced by the already known figures that human beings remember 1% of what they touch, 2% of what they hear, 5% of what they see, 15% of what they taste and 35% of what they smell.
Keep in mind that in life it is not all about appealing to reason; if you want to build customer loyalty, it is ideal to dig into the field of the senses. A lasting memory, a pleasant smell, a song you hum are those perceptions that stick in memory and become a means to win customers and develop sensory marketing.
To get the most out of this tool, we share some tips for making sensory marketing your best ally.
- Smell. It is one of the most stimulated senses. A pleasant aroma during the customer’s stay is what will captivate them to visit the establishment again and again. The mix of aromas evokes situations or moments that may be pleasant, and because they feel “close” to that attractive context, the customer decides to return. Smell has begun to gain special ground within sensory marketing, as the inclusion of personalized fragrances, such as candles, air fresheners, fabric deodorizers, among others, has translated into average billing increases of more than 30% for businesses. This figure has been backed by research from Utrecht University and published in the journal Psychological Science, which found that smells serve to communicate human emotions.
- Sight. Everything enters through the eyes, says an old saying. According to the measurement tool Kissmetrics, for 85% of customers color acts as the first filter for their purchase decision; and it is the main attribute for brand recognition for 80% of consumers. Combining the brand’s colors, typography and designs with new trends can make a good impact on the consumer and lead them to choose a particular product or service. Some colors such as blue are recommended for structuring the corporate image of online commerce companies; if you want to convey prestige or exclusivity you should opt for black or gold. If you want to attract attention, red will be the best option, as it is pleasing to the eye and conveys warmth.
- Hearing. A pleasant, modern melody in line with what the brand offers. If the company is focused on selling home goods, it is ideal to choose music that makes customers feel at home, to ensure they become loyal to your firm and its products. This resource is widely used at Christmas, national holidays or specific celebrations where music is used to draw the customer’s attention and stimulate their hearing so that, attracted by the melody, they enter the business, feel comfortable and buy. Another resource also used by stores or department stores depends on the time of day and the flow of customers. At times of low traffic the music is relaxed, stretching out the moment of purchase and making for an experience of more searching and exploring the store. On weekends, by contrast, the music can be livelier to speed up the process and encourage consumer turnover.
- Touch. Tactile marketing is being greatly underused. In businesses where you find a sign on entering that says “do not touch”, the barrier looms in front of the consumer. Touching a pair of headphones, listening to an artist’s new album and handling the tracks on their compact disc has become a pleasant experience for boosting sales. As iStore does, the mere fact of touching the store’s products makes the consumer feel they are theirs, try out how much easier their life would be if they had an iPad, an iPhone or a Mac, and sales are therefore encouraged. When the customer pays and tries on any garment (in the case of clothing) or touches any product they like, it becomes a very worthwhile opportunity to let everyone judge the product’s quality before taking it home. If the product is good, then “word of mouth” can be a powerful tool for attracting more customers and keeping a business on an upward curve.
- Taste. If your company offers hot or cold drinks, it is important to keep in mind details that seem minimal, not only in how the product is offered but in how to make the customer stay longer in your venue. Most people like places where they feel at home, from sharing a conversation to a business talk for an extended period. Sensory marketing reaches consumers unnoticed and gets them to sync emotionally with a good or a service, which shows that we have moved from purely visual marketing to an experience that envelops us through emotions, memories and moments that goes beyond the moment of purchase, and that extends into our daily life and becomes part of us.
