Olfactory retailing

Smells such as that of baking bread are very appealing but scientists at the Washington State University and University of St Gallen, Switzerland have been investigating what makes the most commercially inspiring odour. Writing in the Journal of Retailing, the researchers describe exposing Swiss shoppers to a simple (orange) scent and a more complex (orange-basil blended with green tea) scent. They observed a significant jump in sales when the simpler scent was in the air. Apparently the simple scent is more easily processed but at an unconscious level, freeing the customer’s mind to focus on shopping and spending more money.