Stores Secretly Pumping Perfume to Increase Fragrance Sales

Posted Oct 30th 2009 at 9:15PM by Melissa Schweiger (Subscribe to Melissa Schweiger's posts)

Filed under: Fragrance, Beauty, News, Skin & Body

Bebe Eau de Parfum. Photo: Bebe.com

Don't be surprised if the next time you walk into your favorite store, you feel oddly compelled to buy fragrance.

A company called Prolitec is providing retailers, such as Bebe, with a discreet way to introduce shoppers to their perfume with something called "ambient scenting," reports WWD.

According to WWD, Bebe uses an easy-to-hide, 5-inch cube that disperses the essence of the scent around visual displays to help introduce the fragrance.

This kind of innovative thinking may just be what the struggling fragrance industry needs to shake things up a bit. "I think we're at a point with scent where music was 10 or 15 years ago," Roger Bensinger, executive vice president of marketing at Prolitec told the paper.

"Now you wouldn't think of going into a store without hearing music."

While no hard data exists showing what sampling does for sales, the Scent Marketing Institute reports it can result in double-digit sales, according to the source.

Carb counters beware! Prolitec also provides grocery stores with the scent of a loaf of bread, reports WWD. (We're hungry just thinking about it.)

Read up on other perfume pumpers.

Tags: bebe, Bebe eau de parfum, BebeEauDeParfum, fragrance, perfume, prolitec, Scent Marketing Institute, ScentMarketingInstitute, secret scenting, SecretScenting

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

ccasinolady 11-02-2009 @ 2:59PM

First I would like to comment that the first four comments here have nothing to do with this article. Now then...the practice to use scents in malls is not a new concept. This is a practice that has ben around for a ling time. It is a scientific fact that as one of the five senses, smells dictate out emotional actions. Food courts that are often located in malls is the best example I can give you here; when most people smell fod, the mind tells them it's time to eat thus bringing a sense of pleasure to the mind. LAb tests have proven that depending on the smell our reactions will be different. In the case of this perfume, we are just tempted to buy it based on the smell around the displays. Have to admit that is a good practice of subtle advertising.

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John 11-02-2009 @ 3:05PM

LOL You're kidding....right?
Oh yeah! Here's a new idea....Let's spritz perfume to increase sales........New idea? They've only been doing this for, oh! I dunno....DECADES!!! It amazes me what people get paid to do. Repackage an old sales technique and pass it off as a new scheme. Can you even walk into a department store such as Belk, Macy's, or even J C Penney's, without being overcome by the perfume counter? (Which is so conveniently placed by the entrance so you can't possibly escape the sensory overload)
And here's more "news" for ya:
This is a form of subliminal messaging and it's supposed to be illegal, but instead, it's prolific.
Example: Why do you think the grocery store puts a cracker display in front of the soup?

hotrodqd 11-02-2009 @ 3:42PM

here's one I'm finding lately and pisses me off especially in these times operating on a tight budget !!! pre-pay fuel pumps ....how many like me insert the nozzle & set the handle for fill up ...then go inside to pay for your 20 bucks you wish to purchase .....then when you get to the desk the cashier says ...oh its already started & youre going to have to shut it off if you only want 20 bucks worth ....by the time you get back to your vehicles its completely full and amount owed is well over 20 !!! its the principle right !! and frankly its stealing from the customer !!! what you going to do ??? pay it ? call the law ? or just drive off without paying the difference ?

tss2912 11-02-2009 @ 4:27PM

Umm, so pay first and avoid that mess!!!

Renee' 11-02-2009 @ 4:12PM

The malls need to remember they are a lawsuit looking to happen with this practice. There are consumers that are highly allergic to lots of perfumes (like my mother). If they cause an allergic reaction with this practice, the malls could go bankrupt with the lawsuit and medical expenses.

cqdeed 11-02-2009 @ 4:24PM

The article's last comment made my mouth water. Talk about a Pavlovian response. I think I'll go to town and get a fresh loaf of bread. LOL -- Edgar

Debbie 11-02-2009 @ 7:16PM

this is nothing new at all, abercrombie has been doing this for years, i used to work there, we had to spray the store every half hour lol

smozden 11-02-2009 @ 7:26PM

This is no new big deal. Starbucks a year ago discovered they could not add many breakfast items to their menu because it changed the coffee smell long associated with thier stores. Gorcery stores have long used smells in each isle to tempt customers. And, most significantly, stores like Body Shop from the beginning used fragrance to tempt the buyer. Not very new and even less sneaky............

dahju 11-02-2009 @ 7:34PM

thank you for adding to my comment that this is not very new and for sure not a secret weapon. The new is the use by fragrance marketers in department stores............mmmmmmm........wonder how they intend to resolve the conflict with Coco, Old spice and leather jackets.

Hil323 11-02-2009 @ 8:06PM

Well...this is just going to make me want to buy stuff online MORE often (which is cheaper anyways)...most perfumes make my head ache...

Susie 11-02-2009 @ 8:17PM

What's new is the delivery system. What's new is the phthalates that make the synthetic fragrance last and stick to everything; phthalates are linked to endocrine disruption and reproductive harm. What's new is the plethora of other harmful chemicals in modern fragrance. What's new is the ubiquitous presence of toxic fragrance without consent of the shopper (no more pretty young women walking up and asking you: Would you like to sample this new perfume?"). What new is that if you want to enter any dept store, you are forced to breathe these toxic chemicals whether you want to or not.

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