Scent of success: can aroma help sell cars?

GAINING a competitive edge in any business is imperative to any line of work. Whether you’re in the luxury hotel game or selling prestige cars, the way your business looks and feels says a lot about your professionalism.

But what about the way it smells?

The psychology behind engaging a customer’s senses can have a massive impact on sales success, says the founder of Perfume Playground, Samantha Copland. From the cleanliness and presentation of the showroom, to the décor chosen, the interaction with attentive staff, the right coffee, and even the choice of music played. Fascinatingly enough, so too can the aroma selected to occupy a space.

Following her successful creation of a scent for the launch of the new BMW 7 Series, Ms Copland took the time to explain to GoAuto some of the psychology behind the impact scent plays in making decisions, feeling ‘at home’ and even fostering a sense of trust.

“In terms of engagement – especially when we consider brand loyalty – recent studies show that when three or more sense are integrated into the brand message, a customer’s engagement with that product or experience can be as high as 70 per cent,” explained Ms Copland.

“Until very recently, the sense of smell has been undervalued and underutilised in selling a brand, but the use of scent is proving very powerful – and another tool in the kit that can help a business to break through the noise and clutter of the competition.”

Ms Copland said that many businesses are now approaching her to develop bespoke scents that can assist in helping a customer to feel at ease, more engaged, or simply more relaxed, while others still use a personally created scent across multiple franchises to establish a feeling of familiarity or fondness.

“A lot of business owners are starting to think outside the box. Scent, being a key part of our chemosensory system, is wired directly to the brain, which means it can be a powerful way for a business to differentiate itself from its competition, and to stimulate a customer’s senses in a unique way,” she said.

“When we start the creative process with a client, we always discuss the kind of response or outcome is desired. Most business owners are very well researched and will come to us with a specific brief, and this includes the automotive industry.

“A dealership in particular will want to create a positive impact from the moment a customer walks through the door, and scent is particularly important from the perspective of making someone feel welcome – you don’t want a showroom to smell like glass cleaner and tyre shine, for example.

“Being memorable can help a customer return to a brand, or a specific dealership, and even a subtle scent can contribute to that response.”

Ms Copland explained how different scents, and combinations of scents, can help a customer to feel more relaxed or ‘chatty’, to feel uplifted, or even to feel more grounded in what for many can be an overwhelming environment. But she was quick to caution that not all fragrances are created equal.

“There is, however, a very big difference between the kinds of responses achieved when comparing natural fragrances with commercial or man-made fragrances – some of which can have the opposite of the desired effect,” she said.

“At the end of the day, you’re putting something into someone’s body, and fragrances that are made in a laboratory don’t have the same composition as natural perfumes.

“There can be over 100 different synthetic components in a commercial fragrance, and even if it smells nice at first, it can be quite one dimensional after a time, creating a kind of ‘aroma pollution’ that is not only distracting, but also rather harmful to staff and customers – and the environment.

“Artificial fragrances have been shown to damage the olfactory senses and the lungs, and even cause hormonal changes. Many are actually quite toxic and are just as bad for us as passive smoking.

“I only ever use natural fragrances,” Ms Copland told GoAuto.

Ms Copland said a number of dealerships were already using her services to stand out from the crowd, with many choosing what she refers to as “hero botanicals” to develop the desired scent. She said that once a scent is created, she works to find the best way to distribute the aroma within a space, and says it is important a space is not overwhelmed with aroma – or underdone.

“Balance is very important. You don’t want a scent to be confronting. Like the colour palette you choose or the style and volume of the music played, it’s all about striking the right balance,” she said.

“Some of the dealerships we work with have their own brand stories or templates they like to use, and we need to understand and work within those guidelines. You need to think of scent like a colour or a mood … you need to get the vibe right.

“There are roughly 20 touchpoints a customer has with your business throughout the buying experience, from the first interaction online or in the showroom, through the communication and the deal and eventually to handover; and it’s important that each of the experiences a customer has along that journey are consistent.

“Last year we worked with a company called Autonomy Co. and launched a scented oil contained in a luxurious leather pouch that fits behind the driver’s seat. It has notes of juniper berry and lime, and it complements the aroma used in the dealership.

“The company founder, Amanda Lintott, has trialed the scented cards within a Jaguar Land Rover franchise, as well as in her own line of products, and we’ve had some amazing feedback from that particular client. The feedback is that the subtle connection generated by the scent is helping to cement a more immersive customer relationship.”

GoAuto caught up with Ms Lintott, founder and CEO of Autonomy Co., who said simple and sustainable product ideas show how the industry has moved on from fragmented and outdated ways of thinking.

“I wanted a signature scent for the Autonomy brand. I knew it had to be of the highest quality, completely natural and formulated to compliment the interiors of some of the world’s most beautiful cars. It also had to be unisex, fresh, comforting and sophisticated. Basically – as far away from synthetic coconut and fairy floss as possible,” she said.

“A beautiful scent is a way to refresh and also to cleanse. Contemporary buyers have an expectation of high quality … our fragrance took around four months to develop. We wanted a bit of leather in there, but also to make a scent that is fresh and not overwhelming. So, we came up with a formulation that contains cedarwood, rosemary, lime and a touch of cognac.

“The customer feedback has been amazing. It really has become something of a hero product, and we’re now working on a way of incorporating the scent into other products – car cleaning products – so that no one is confronted with synthetic fragrances anymore.”

Ms Lintott said the beauty in the design of modern cars meant they should not be cheapened by artificial scents, or by tacky and dated means of presenting a scent into the cabin space.

She said she worked closely with both Perfume Playground and a Sydney-based design team to ensure the product is beautifully presented for both dealership- and in-car presentation.

“Cars are beautiful. Even the cheapest car on the market today is a beautiful thing. There is a lot of time and money that has gone into that design and I just can’t stand seeing that cheapened with synthetic products,” Ms Lintott told GoAuto.

“Chemically infused products are overwhelming – it’s like a knock-out punch – it’s also bad for your health and the environment. They also fade very quickly.

“We know people want better quality in every aspect of the buying process, whether that’s the experience in the dealership or in their own cars. They want to extend that new car buying experience for as long as possible, and we think this is a beautiful and simple tool that allows them to do just that.”