Scents as a Way to Keep Customers Longer

How do you keep customers in your premises for longer? Attractive discounts and a tidy interior are not enough. Ambient scenting is an effective tool — fragrance encourages people to stay.

How Does Scent Increase Dwell Time?

In an age of pervasive competition, simply attracting a customer can be difficult. And the longer a customer stays with you, the greater the probability that they will buy something. Time spent on the premises defines how a consumer perceives the brand and how they interact with it. Research shows a strong correlation between visit length and purchase intent.

If you extend a customer's visit by 1%, you may see a 1.3% increase in sales.

Customers spend more time in scented spaces because they feel comfortable in them. The average dwell time in a pleasantly scented venue increases by around 15 minutes, and waiting in a queue passes faster — fragrances calm and raise satisfaction levels.

Facts and Research

• In a French restaurant, on scented days customers spent 16% more time and spent 21% more than on unscented days.
• Dunkin' Donuts recorded a 16% increase in shop traffic when diffusing fragrances, and coffee sales rose by 29%.
• Shopping centres report higher footfall in cafés when they are scented with coffee and chocolate aromas.