Sensory Marketing in Physical Retail Stores: A Focus on Visual and Olfactory Stimuli

Abstract

In an increasingly competitive retail landscape, creating positive and memorable in-store experiences has become essential for attracting and retaining customers. This bachelor’s thesis explores the role of sensory marketing in physical retail stores – with a particular focus on visual and olfactory stimuli – as a means of influencing consumer perception and behavior, and shaping the overall shopping experience across different cultural and geographical contexts. Incorporating evidence from academic literature, scoping reviews, an expert interview, and a consumer survey, the findings support that sensory marketing significantly enhances consumer experience and purchase behavior. Visual strategies – such as color, lighting, or store layout – prove to be highly effective and consistently impactful across diverse cultural settings. Olfactory strategies, especially the use of ambient scent, also show a positive impact on consumer perception and decision-making. However, their application in product presentation remains limited and under-researched. These results highlight the effectiveness of carefully designed sensory marketing strategies in retail environments and point out the need for further research into underexplored areas, including olfactory cues in product and packaging, and cross-cultural variations in sensory responses.