Sensory Marketing 101

Did you know that sensory marketing can be used to create a more exciting and memorable shopping experience for your customers? 

When businesses focus on stimulating their customer’s senses and influencing sensory cues, they can increase the amount of time customers spend in the store, bond with the products, and make them want to return. 

In this blog, we discuss how sensory marketing can be used to achieve these goals and help you stand out from the crowd.

Create a Multi-Sensory Marketing Experience

First, it’s important to understand the five senses that sensory marketing is based on – sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Each of these sensory elements can be used to create an experience that will engage customers in a unique way and make them want to return for more.

Now let’s explore how businesses can use sensory marketing to improve their customer’s experiences.

Sight

Using sensory marketing techniques to create a visually appealing store is important for customer engagement. Visual marketing can draw in customers and increase their desire to purchase products, which is why it’s important to get your shop fitout right. 

This could include anything from vibrant product displays (images, videos, or even animations projected on walls or display screens) and attractive store window displays to vivid artwork decorating your shop walls. 

Varying lighting arrangements can also be employed to further enhance the customer’s experience in the shop as well as make them feel comfortable enough to linger around longer. 

Additionally, a well-designed customer flow and keeping items at eye level can help customers quickly identify products they may be interested in purchasing.

Sensory marketing when it comes to sight could also include things like cleanliness of the store and staff attire, and if you own a café it could include your café fitout, right down to how your menu is displayed, or if you have any cakes or other food, and how this is presented.

Hearing

Sounds such as subtle background music or sound effects associated with products can play a big role in sensory marketing. Music has been proven to influence customer behaviour and their shopping habits, especially when it is tailored to the target audience or the type of products you sell. For example, a shop that specialises in home décor may choose to play soothing instrumental music while a store that sells kid’s clothing may opt for more uplifting tunes. 

You could also consider playing audio clips or soundtracks that are related to certain products or experiences you want customers to have in-store.

Important note: Even the volume level can influence a consumer’s perception of the store. Finding a sweet spot between too loud and too quiet may take some time but it is worth getting just right.

Smell 

Scents can also play an important role in sensory marketing efforts. Why? Smells create an emotional connection with customers and can help them remember experiences at your store. Using sensory marketing techniques such as scented candles or diffusers can invoke a positive emotion when customers enter the store, making them more likely to stay longer and purchase items. 

Additionally, specific fragrances associated with particular products can create an association in customers’ minds, making them more likely to purchase that product or return for it in the future.

Studies have also shown that certain smells can help trigger memories which makes it easier for customers to recall the shop when they come back at another time. 

Taste

Taste can also be used to create a sensory experience. There are many ways that taste can be incorporated into your shop – for example, offering complimentary samples of food or beverages is a great way to make customers feel valued and appreciated. 

This can also be an opportunity to showcase new products, as customers are more likely to purchase something they have already tasted.

Touch 

It’s not always easy to let customers handle products due to health and safety issues; however, sensory marketing allows you to get creative in engaging with customers’ tactile senses. 

Try setting up displays where customers can try out items such as clothes or electronics, or offer tactile materials like cotton balls or fabric swatches so they can get a better understanding of how a product would feel. 

Customers who can touch and feel products before buying will be more likely to make purchases because they know exactly what they’re getting. Plus, sensory marketing provides customers with a unique and engaging experience that will keep them coming back. 

The Benefits of Sensory Marketing

Sensory marketing is beneficial for businesses for a number of reasons:

• It creates a more immersive shopping experience.
• It helps to drive sales and increase customer and brand loyalty.
• When customers have positive sensory experiences in your store, they’re more likely to return.
• Customers will be more likely to spread the word about their experience, helping you reach new customers organically.
• It can also help you stand out from competitors.
• Lastly, it can help by improving brand identity, recognition and recall.

5 Tips for Your Sensory Marketing Strategy

Whether you own a café, restaurant, hotel or retail store, here are our top tips to get you started on your sensory marketing journey.

1. Build an emotional connection with customers by choosing sensory elements that reflect the core values of your business.
2. Leverage sensory marketing technology (such as touch screens and virtual reality) to get the most out of sensory experiences.
3. Use sensory marketing to differentiate your brand from competitors, as well as to provide customers with a unique shopping experience that they can’t find anywhere else.
4. Make sure you are tracking the success of your campaigns so you can adjust them accordingly and make improvements over time. 
5. Last but not least, have fun! Creating a sensory experience in your shop should be an enjoyable experience for you and your customers. Finding ways to make sensory marketing part of the customer journey will help build strong relationships with customers and keep them coming back.

Take Your Sensory Marketing Tactics to the Next Level

Sensory marketing is a powerful tool that can provide unique experiences for customers, boost sales, and create lasting relationships between businesses and their patrons.

By implementing sensory elements in your store, you can engage all five senses — sight, hearing, smell, touch and taste — to increase the time customers spend in-store, bond with products, and make them want to return.

With the right strategies in place, sensory marketing is sure to add excitement to your store’s environment while helping drive sales. Start igniting multiple senses using the sensory marketing tactics explored above today.

LKD Designs & Constructs Fitouts with Sensory Perception Front of Mind

At LKD Fitouts we believe your sensory marketing efforts should begin with the fitout of your store.

When you work with our experts you can rest assured that the structure and layout of your premises is designed and constructed to achieve maximum results.

Whether you require a large retail fitout, small shop fitout, or bar fitout, get in touch with our specialist team at LKD fitouts on 1300 553 777 or fill in an enquiry form.