How McDonald’s is Using the Smell of Fries to Attract Customers: The Power of Scent Marketing in Retail Industry

The unmistakable smell of fast food. Not everyone gets hungry right away. Still used McDonald’s the smell of their fries to attract customers. Red and yellow, empty billboards have been placed near a number of branches of the chain that spread no pictures or text but only the smell of fries.

“It has been proven that scent is more effective at bringing out clear and emotional memories than images,” Stijn Mentrop-Huliselan, CMO of the chain, said in a press release.

The scent trick is used more often. For example, fanatical home salespeople like to bake a fresh apple pie and clothing stores lure customers into their stores with strong perfumes. Fragrance specialist Bart Janssens from Odorme explains how that works. “We try to influence people with scent,” he tells Editie NL. His company installs scent systems in stores. “We try to attract people to a certain part of the store, make them stay longer and buy something. We do this without the customer realizing it.”

Leather shoes

He mentions a shoe store as an example. “We added an old-fashioned leather scent to the more expensive shoes. This increased sales.”

Because unconsciously the scent does something to the customers, explains scent researcher Sanne Boesveldt of the Wageningen University out. “People can recognize smells and have certain associations with them,” she tells Editie NL. “And certainly if these are positive associations, it can influence choice behavior.”

Smell of baking bread

Recognizability of the odors is very important. “They bake bread in the supermarket to create appetite.” Although not everyone will have the same associations with the smell of fast food. “It really is very personal because it depends on personal experiences. Depending on whether you like it or not, it will work up an appetite. But not everyone likes the Mac.”

2024-04-08 11:42:54
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