Sensory marketing has a positive emotional, cognitive and behavioural impact on shoppers in-store, with shoppers spending up to six minutes longer in the shop leading to sales increases of up to 10%.
So says a study by in-store media solutions company Mood Media, which partnered with its international sports retailer client, INTERSPORT, to conduct a controlled experiment to quantify the impact sensory marketing has on shoppers. It also found that, when sensory marketing was applied, shoppers purchased more items – an increase of 4% – and higher priced items, increase of 6% in value, when sensorial marketing elements were in place.
From the installation of scent in the football area to-date, INTERSPORT has noticed a 26% increase in sales in the category in the test store compared to the same category performance in all the other stores throughout the country.
Based on Eye Tracking (ET) metrics, awareness of digital screens in-store increased by 5% when moving visualisations were activated on-screen, versus. static images. Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) metrics, meanwhile, show a lack of sensorial elements in-store caused many consumers to become awkwardly self-aware while shopping, with 17% becoming more emotionally sensitive and uncomfortable in an unusually quiet and stimulant-free environment.
Consumers like seeing themselves, which the study describes as “the science of narcissism.” Galvanic Skin Response (GSR) and Eye Tracking (ET) metrics showed a significant increase in nervous system activity and engagement when consumers saw themselves in mirrors and interacted with products in front of mirrors.
Shoppers showed a 50% emotional increase when touching and engaging with a product. This supports first-hand the important and unique role that in-store shopping continues to serve.
“As we build our omnichannel strategy, we continue to focus on enhancing our brick & mortar stores with memorable and engaging experiences that connect with our customer base,” says Chris Kleine, Director Design and Development from IIC-INTERSPORT Intl Corp. “The involvement of our national licensee in this research has further highlighted how important sensory experiences are in creating a positive in-store environment that brings shoppers back time and time again.”
Scott Moore, Global CMO of Mood Media adds: “Knowing that 78% of shoppers say an enjoyable atmosphere plays a key factor in purchasing a product in-store versus online, we partnered with Walnut Unlimited to develop unique behavioural and neuromarketing quantitative research that demonstrates how shoppers react first-hand to specific sensory experiences,” said. “The results speak for themselves. A strategic top-level approach to incorporating in-store sensorial elements creates a measurable emotional response with consumers that delivers bottom-line results.”
