Odor PrimingOpen Access

Odor Priming

We’ll pay more when we smell something nice

Though often overlooked, smell has a powerful effect on memory recall, nostalgia and, as long as it’s deemed authentic, our purchasing decisions.

Kechagia & Drichoutis (2017). The effect of olfactory sensory cues on willingness to pay and choice under risk. Journal of Behavioral & Experimental Economics.

The study

Setup

Setup

105 people were split into two groups, put in a room with either a zesty scent in the air, or no scent. They were then shown a mug, and were asked to bid for it with real money.

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Results

Results

Those in the scented room exhibited a higher average willingness to pay for the mug.

Study graph
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Kechagia & Drichoutis (2017). The effect of olfactory sensory cues on willingness to pay and choice under risk. Journal of Behavioral & Experimental Economics.

Key Takeaways

1
1

Keep environmental scents simple...

...unless it's the brand differentiator (e.g. Aesop, Neal's Yard). Much like visual stimuli, in-store scents deemed simpler result in both higher average spending and cognitive processing (Hermann et al., 2013).

Takeaway image
2
2

Be authentic.

You'll risk triggering skepticism if you substitute a real side-effect of production for something fake (Lunardo, 2012), i.e. a freshly-baked scent in a store with no oven. Better to have a complementary or no scent than have consumers think you’re patching over an inferior product.

Takeaway image
3
3

Consider a product scent.

What sort of feeling do you want to evoke upon unboxing? Adams & Douce (2017) provide a brilliant analysis of possible scents. Make it subtle, appropriate and apply it consistently to the entire range. e.g. Tech company Apple is notorious for the sweet scent experienced when opening up a new computer for the first time. Even though you can't see it, you remember it deeply.

Takeaway image
4
4
Takeaway image
Takeaway image
np_read_2490885_000000
np_read_2490885_000000

In further detail

Takeaway image
Currently being prepared...
Odor Priming

Odor Priming

We’ll pay more when we smell something nice

Though often overlooked, smell has a powerful effect on memory recall, nostalgia and, as long as it’s deemed authentic, our purchasing decisions.

The study

Setup

105 people were split into two groups, put in a room with either a zesty scent in the air, or no scent. They were then shown a mug, and were asked to bid for it with real money.

Results

Those in the scented room exhibited a higher average willingness to pay for the mug.

study graph
np_read_2490885_000000

In detail

Hungry for more?

Currently being sourced...
Nuggets

Snack on these...

Open access, foundational Nuggets

Scarcity

Scarcity

We value things more when they’re in limited supply

Social Proof

Social Proof

We copy the behaviors of others, especially in unfamiliar situations

Prospect Theory

Prospect Theory

A loss hurts more than an equal gain feels good

Reciprocity

Reciprocity

We’re hardwired to return kindness received

Framing

Framing

We make very different decisions based on how a fact is presented

Loss Aversion

Loss Aversion

We feel more negative when losing something than positive when we gain it

Self-Expression

Self-Expression

We constantly seek out ways to communicate our identity to others

Default Effect

Default Effect

We tend to accept the option pre-chosen for us

Priming

Priming

Our decisions are shaped by memories recalled from things just seen or heard

Anchoring

Anchoring

What we see first affects our judgement of everything thereafter

Autonomy Bias

Autonomy Bias

We have a deep-seated need to control our situations

Fast & Slow Thinking

Fast & Slow Thinking

We make knee-jerk spontaneous decisions that can cause regretful damage

Status Quo Bias

Status Quo Bias

We tend to stick with our previous choices, even if the alternatives might be better

Dynamic Norms

Dynamic Norms

We’re more likely to change if we can see a new behavior developing

Round Pricing Preference

Round Pricing Preference

We prefer and trust whole numbers over those ending in a 9

Salience

Salience

Our choices are determined by the information we're shown

Connected to

All Nuggets, data & takeaways

Academic data

Key takeaways

Pairings

Cheat Sheets

Collect Nuggets

Nuggets In The Wild

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© 2013-24 Coglode

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