We Shop With Our Senses - Here’s How.

The secret big retailers don't want you to know.

Jens Hansegård

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Introduction. You may think your customer’s wallet determines what stuff he buys and why. In fact his sense of touch and his sense of hearing has as much to do with purchasing decisions. Read on to learn why.

Picture yourself as you enter a modern big retailer such as Uniqlo. You will barraged by a wealth of sensory input, from the colors in the storefront, to the clothing arranged in such a way that you feel compelled to pick up that wool sweater and feel the fabric. The music playing from the speakers subconsciously reinforces the Uniqlo brand. Scents, lighting, and colors are all arranged to compel you, the customer, to make a purchase. The world of sensory marketing has arrived.

We’re transitioning from a world focused on communication to a world focused on experience. You may already have heard about sensory marketing. More importantly, the big retailers know all about it. But you can use the same methods to reach your customers.

Since few products can only be bought at one place, you need to pay as much attention to how you sell your products and your brand as you do on what you are selling.

Sensory marketing isn’t rocket science, but like every other aspect of your business, it needs to be well thought through and adapted to your business so you can get the most out of it.

As a consumer yourself, you’ve most likely already interacted with several forms of sensory marketing without even knowing it. After all, 95% of our buying decisions are made subconsciously, according to Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman.

Sight. The first thing consumers notice when walking past your place of business is your storefront. Your storefront should be designed in a way that encourages impulse sales and triggers curiosity. Your storefront must appeal to the casual shoppers, the ones that walk into a store with the intent of buying a sweater but walk out with three pairs of jeans.

But, you’re not just selling your brand or your products, you’re selling an experience - the experience. By creating a context in-store that your customers easily can picture themselves in, you increase the chance of them buying more. Furniture stores such as IKEA are known for being very good at this, presenting their products in a homely environment. Clothing brands that create the impression of a complete outfit by letting different pieces of clothing hang next to each other.

Another part of visual sensory marketing is color. Colors represents feelings, which many brands use to their advantage. For instance, retailers and grocery stores often use colors of high visibility such as red and yellow to make customers pay extra attention. Since yellow is the color first noticed by the human eye and red is associated with alarms and stop signs, these are the most common colors used for sales signs. Why? To make consumers notice them. And stop to look closer.

Colors are also a very effective way of storytelling. For instance, using light and bright colours associated with summer in a swimming wear section makes your customers forget that it’s cold and rainy outside and get into a summery shopping mode instead.

Hearing. Volume and tempo have an important role in sensory marketing. Loud volume makes people move faster while quieter music makes them stay longer. Low tempo music tends to make people spend more while uptempo music has a positive effect on people’s mood. This knowledge can be used to trigger different types of behavioral responses throughout the day, such as a fast food restaurant wanting to increase the customer flow during lunch hours by playing uptempo music at a higher volume level and playing mid-to-low tempo music at a lower volume during the afternoon to make customers stay longer and spend more money.

The kind of music you’re playing when and where is also important in creating emotional connections that triggers a desired behaviour. Playing Christmas songs during late November and December isn’t just a way for retailers to get you into a festive spirit, it’s also a way of making consumers want to spend more money on their loved ones.

Taste. Have you ever bought a product in a grocery store just because you were offered a free sample? Yes, that’s sensory marketing as well. Offering customers to try the product before buying it is an effective way to creating the feeling of trust between brand and consumer.

Another example of taste in sensory marketing is business owners offering sweets by the cashier as a reward for waiting patiently in line or buying their products. More exclusive brands might offer their customers a glass of champagne when entering the stores, making the brand experience feel more luxurious and exclusive.

Smell. Smell is the most sensitive of all our senses, making it a very powerful tool to create a deeper emotional bond with your customers while strengthening associations to the actual product.

A product that smells good will be perceived as good, increasing the chances of customers buying it. One business segment that practices this method is automotive manufacturers, using “new car” fragrances to boost sales.

Perhaps you’ve also visited a chocolatier or a convenience store with a distinct smell of chocolate or cinnamon buns, even if the chocolate is packaged and there are no cinnamon buns being baked at that time.

Touch. The more time consumers hold on to a specific item, the more likely they are to purchase it. This is something you as a business owner can use to your advantage, since there are several strategies to make people touch and interact with your products. As an example, people are more likely to grab something within convenient reach, such as a product showcased on a table or hanging at eye level. People also tend to be more comfortable with picking things up that aren’t in a perfect order, since they don’t want to mess it up.

Another example of touch as sensory marketing is weight and material. Expensive restaurants often use heavy menu covers made out of expensive material to give the impression that the pricing of the dishes are more reasonable, while less expensive restaurants use menus of a lighter material without a cover.

And of course: don’t forget the names. Names are just as color, something people associate with emotions. Naming your products right are important to make your customers want to interact with it. For instance, the iPod Touch emphasises the feature of the product while beauty products bearing names such as “silky smooth” describes the feeling when using it and creates a positive association to the product.

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