How scent and music collaborate to influence consumer experiences

Harmony of ambient stimuli, i.e., the compatibility of scent and music, leads to better evaluations of the store environment, more positive behavioral responses, and higher levels of consumer satisfaction. To date, few studies have examined the relationships between lighting, music, scent, or cleanliness in retail environments. Previous studies have isolated the consequences of these variables. Professors Anna S. Mattila and Jochen Wirtz aimed to prove that the congruence of ambient scent and music in retail stores is a factor influencing customer evaluation and behavior. Customers perceive the whole In their work, the researchers focused on the fact that consumers perceive the space in which they shop holistically. This means, more or less, that the stimuli that affect the shopper in such a place are perceived as a single, integrated structure. They do not perceive them as separate entities. Smell is related to music The researchers focused on consumer beliefs about retail outlets. They examined the relationship between music and scent and consumer responses to these elements. They focused on the arousing properties of music (fast or slow tempo) that harmonizes with scent (stimulating or relaxing). The variants on which the researchers based their findings Mattila and Wirtz operated with three options:

1. pleasant, low-stimulation music + low-stimulation scent,
2. highly stimulating music + highly stimulating scent,
3. interior without music + interior without smell.

They chose the scent of grapefruit (strongly stimulating) and lavender (gentlely stimulating), as well as music with a slow (low arousal) and fast (high arousal) tempo. The conclusions they reached Background music paired with pleasant aromas increased consumer ratings. When the two ambient factors were aligned, shoppers rated the space more positively and showed greater impulse to purchase. Furthermore, customer satisfaction levels increased. The combination of the gently stimulating scent of lavender with slow-paced music led to better consumer ratings than the scent paired with stimulating music. Meanwhile, the fast-paced music positively influenced customer behavior when the store was simultaneously scented with grapefruit (a strong stimulant) rather than lavender. How to take advantage of this interdependence Stores targeting teenagers might try pairing high-arousal scents with funky music to encourage unplanned purchases. Shopping mall managers, meanwhile, might try scenting their stores with low-arousal scents and playing classical music to maximize the shopping experience.