The power of scent : effects of pleasant scents on perceptions of service and environmental quality in a hairdressing salon

Abstract

A pleasant atmospheric scent has the ability to appeal not only to our sense of smell but allows businesses to connect with clients on an emotional level. This study examines the relationship between pleasant scents and their ability to influence people's perceptions and evaluations. An experiment was carried out during which three groups of clients of a hairdressing salon were exposed to either (i) no scent (n-).5), (ii) jasmine (n-41) 01 (iii) vanilla (n=J 7) and asked to make judgements about service quality and environmental quality. This study is discussed in relation to the theories related to olfactory research and scent marketing for a detailed understanding of how the two can be used to benefit even small scale service providers. This research shows that a pleasant scent does have the ability to improve perceptions of service quality and evaluations of environmental quality. Moreover it shows how client's tend to judge 'quality' in a holistic manner, evaluating both service and environmental quality as a cohesive aspect of a salon's overall standard. A standard which can be improved by the addition of a pleasant atmospheric scent.