Sensory marketing is the key to success

It is no secret that sensory marketing is an activity in which emotions and senses play the main role. They are the impulse which triggers the decision-making process in the customer’s mind and stimulates him to act. Sensory perception is closely connected with the brain. It is an inheritance from our ancestors, but at the same time it is an excellent mechanism that has enabled man to react immediately.

The shopping frenzy is driven by the senses

Smell, followed by sight, hearing and touch. It is in this order that we can rank the senses that have the greatest influence on customers’ purchasing decisions. Also those made on the Internet. It is not without a reason that sensory marketing comes into play during Christmas or Easter – store spaces are full of the scents of tangerines, cinnamon, fresh bread or holiday cakes. Shopping malls are in a shopping frenzy. Also online stores change their graphic layout, insert sliders and banners full of Christmas accents. Sometimes shoppers enter stores or websites looking for specific products, sometimes they just look for gifts. Most often they buy more than they intended. Why? Does sensory marketing have anything to do with it??

Sensory marketing – how and why it works for customers?

You should look at the statistics first. According to Deloitte reports, Poles spend more on Christmas gifts than on food. They spend as much as 45% of the budget planned for festivities on them. On the Polish commercial market there is a multitude of brands which tempt with proposals of gifts. There’s no doubt that sensory marketing, which relates to our senses, comes to the rescue and is used by entrepreneurs. This strengthens customer loyalty and makes it easier to achieve sales goals. This is done by arousing positive emotions and associations inducing customers to purchase goods or services. This is what sensory marketing is based on.

Elements of sensory marketing

• Smell (recognizable smell, intensity, gender-specific)
• Sight (packaging, graphics, color, light)
• hearing (recognition sound, atmosphere, music)
• Touch (material and surface, temperature)
• taste (interdependence on other senses, pleasure)

Sensory marketing is promoting a product in such a way as to directly influence the subconsciousness of the recipient and his or her senses. A good use of these activities is to evoke in the recipient all the expected experiences by involving each of the senses at the same time. It is useful to combine several elements of sensory marketing; however, be mindful of their dosage. Pre-Christmas marketing is based on elements correlating with Easter or Christmas. The look of a store during this time often takes on a very homely decor full of Christmas baskets, Easter eggs or Christmas trees and lights. Additionally, all these activities are enriched with Christmas shopping bags or Christmas gift wrapping service. These elements make up sensory marketing. Action on the senses is not only used in the periods before Christmas. This technique takes advantage of associations that exist deep in the consumer’s consciousness, while a sudden change – for example of music in a store or a smell – can have the opposite effect.

Sensory marketing and e-commerce

At first glance, it seems that acting on the senses in e-commerce is nonsense.

Nevertheless, well-known brands are also using sensory marketing in the virtual space. Actions in this version have a truncated option, but this does not hinder anything. Color psychology comes in handy here – the color scheme of the website, presentation of products in 3D format and sending product samples (e.g. The use of scented packaging (e.g. cosmetics or perfumes) or the use of perfumed packaging elements. These are the components of sensory marketing in e-commerce. However, be careful – studies show that the use of melodic elements in the virtual space can do us more harm. Users browsing the web may be surprised when music suddenly starts playing automatically, even if it’s a beautiful Christmas hit..

Christmas and sensory marketing

It is indisputable that shoppers are more likely to stay and buy more when accompanied by the right atmosphere. It is important that sensory marketing is not pushy. Listening to Christmas music at the beginning of November may irritate customers and make them reluctant to buy cosmetics or perfume. Success can be ensured by using several sensory marketing elements, such as: graphics (sense of sight) and the smell of Christmas baked goods (sense of smell). It follows that such a strategy must be well thought-out and stand in opposition to pushiness. Consumer habits and expectations are growing stronger and brands have to follow them to adapt to market demands. Sensory marketing will definitely be present in the sales industry not only during the Easter and Christmas holiday period. It is also worth remembering about it when selling on the Internet, although this task seems to be more difficult.