The signal fucntion of thematically (ln) congruent ambient scents in a retail environment

46Citations
Citations of this article
73Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

An odor emitted by an object signals the presence of that object and may draw attention to it. Can odors that are not actually emitted by an object also function as a signal? We investigated whether the degree of thematic congruency between an ambient odor and a magazine affected magazine sales in a retail store. We selected two odors: a grass odor, congruent with soccer, animal/nature and gardening magazines; and a sunflower odor, congruent with personal care and women's magazines. In a field study in three bookstores, the ambient odors did not increase sales for thematically congruent magazines, nor did they decrease sales for incongruent magazines. Several explanations for these unexpected findings are discussed.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Schifferstein, H. N. J., & Blok, S. T. (2002). The signal fucntion of thematically (ln) congruent ambient scents in a retail environment. Chemical Senses, 27(6), 539–549. https://doi.org/10.1093/chemse/27.6.539

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free