earticle

영어

Recently, there is a growing interest in scent amongst consumers. As the importance of the scent marketing is increasingly recognized, an increasing number of stores are now using scent-marketing strategies to lure in customers with pleasant scents. Studies have shown that pleasant scents, especially when the scents are congruent with the image of the store or a product, are effective in boosting sales and also getting more positive comments on their products and service from customers. The major purpose of this research is to examine the effects of scent marketing on sales in the Korean market through analyzing the past research projects on in-store scent marketing and its effects on sales and case studies conducted in different countries. The study was conducted to examine the effects of scent marketing on sales at a street cosmetic store and the overall changes in attitude of a store through using various methods. For instance, the actual receipts are collected from the participants to record changes in sales accurately and various seeking and spending time are recorded and collected by observers. Surveys were conducted at the exit of the store to evaluate a store and service provided. The underlying assumption of the research is that even if consumers are able to detect a scent, consumers do not interpret it as a stimulus of marketing or influencer. It is hypothesized that scent marketing can have a positive impact on sales if consumers feel pleasant due to the overall scent of the place, regardless of the scent awareness. One of the participants in the survey did not notice the presence of the scent while she was in the store and even until she completed the survey. When the participant was asked whether she was aware of the scent of freesia in the store, she answered that she was not aware of the scent at all. In other words, the scent marketing can be still effective even when consumers are not aware of the presence of the scent and its pleasantness while shopping. Studies have found that in order for scent marketing to be successful, the scent should be pleasant and also congruent with products sold within the store. The 9 questions that were used in the study were carefully examined. Participants were generally positive toward the 9 questions including overall satisfaction of the scent, the image of the store in relation to the scent and the pleasance of the scent. The evaluation of scent was significantly increased after the scent was applied which means that the scent applied to the store is chosen properly as the stimulant to trigger the effectiveness of the scent marketing. First, it was expected that consumer evaluations of the store and their overall shopping experience will be improved in the presence of the scent. The finding of this study proves that the presence of scent improves customer service satisfaction and overall satisfaction with the shopping experience. Secondly, it was hypothesized that a pleasant scent in a store brings positive effects on sales. After carefully examining the difference between the amount of purchase that the participants made in the store while they were exposed to the scent and while the scent was absent, this study found that there was a significant increase in the amount of money spent when the participants were exposed to the scent. This leads to the conclusion that pleasant scent brings positive effects on sales when other environmental conditions are controlled. In addition, the study observed and measured variety seeking activities and time spent at the store under the assumption that scent can enhance consumer's shopping experience. The time spent at the store and the number of display stands (variety seeking activities) where a consumer stayed more than 5 seconds, were slightly increased but it was statistically insignificant. As the study examined the effects of scent on sales in the Korean market based on previous findings from related studies, people in retail business will be able to use this research as a reference when making scent marketing decisions. Further research is needed to improve the effects of scent marketing by addressing the controlling factors, type of scents and other environmental factors such as weather.

한국어

최근 향에 대한 소비자의 관심이 증가되면서, 향 관련 상품을 판매하는 마케팅 외에도 매장내 주변 향 을 통해 매장 및 제품에 대한 소비자의 태도와 구매행위를 긍정적으로 증가시키려는 마케팅 활동이 있어 왔다. 이전 연구결과를 보면 기분 좋게 하는 주변 향이 특히 매장 혹은 제품의 이미지와 유사할 경우 매 장에서 제공하는 서비스 혹은 제품 평가, 매장에 대한 이미지, 그리고 실제 구매행위에도 긍정적 영향을 미쳤다는 결과를 보였다. 본 연구는 국내 매장인 판매 현장에서 주변 향을 적용할 경우 실제적인 마케팅 효과가 있었는 지를 검증하고자 했다. 본 연구 결과, 향이 없었던 경우에도 매장 평가가 긍정적이었던 화 장품 매장에서 향 마케팅 적용 후 소비자들은 전반적인 매장 만족도에서 긍정적 태도가 증가하였다. 세 부적으로 보면, 상품 품질 평가에 대해서 긍정적 증가를 보인 반면, 직원 서비스 평가에서는 유의미한 증 가를 보이지 않았다. 소비자의 태도를 넘어서, 직접적인 구매행동 변화를 확인하기 위해 향 마케팅 적용 전후의 매장내 소비액 변화를 검증한 결과 소비액이 증가한 결과를 보였다. 한편, 판매에 간접적 영향을 미치게 될 다양한 탐색(variety seeking)과 체류시간(spending time)에서는 유의미하게 증가한 결과를 보이지 않았다. 본 연구는 해외 중심으로 과거 연구되었던 내용을 실제 국내 매장 환경에서 검증한 연구 로, 리테일 관련 산업 종사자나 마케터들이 실무에서 자신 있게 향 마케팅을 추진할 수 있을 것이며, 또 한 본 연구를 바탕으로 향 마케팅 효과를 높이기 위한 조절 변수의 영향, 그리고 선별적 향 선택, 더 나 아가 날씨와 같은 외적변수에 대응할 수 있는 후속적 연구를 기대한다.