What's in a scent? Meaning, shape, and sensorial concepts elicited by scents

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Abstract
When selecting an ambient scent to be diffused in a store, one can focus on pleasantness of the scent, congruency of the scent with product category, or a variety of concepts that can be the basis for congruency between scent and other atmospheric elements. However, more information is needed concerning the concepts from which congruency could be sought. This paper studies the strength and direction of 19 bipolar concepts related to meaning, perceived shape and sensory attributes elicited by 32 scents. Factor analysis indicates that the concepts can be grouped into four factors: an angelic, an energetic, a shape, and a depth factor. Cluster analysis indicates that the 32 scents can be grouped based on differences in strength as well as direction of the elicitations. The results indicate that certain concepts do co‐occur and that a classification of scents based on their similar elicitations of concepts might be of value.Practical applications: The results illustrate that the current classification of scents in terms of notes (e.g., floral, fresh, woody, herbal) does not imply that scents present in the same category of notes elicit the same concepts. A new classification based on the elicited concepts is thus advised since this classification will better answer the needs of retailers when choosing a correct ambient scent. In particular, a retailer will then be able to choose the scent that will elicit the concepts he or she wishes to communicate. The results of this study provide a first insight into which concepts and factors need to be measured and which clusters of scents can be expected to arise.
Funding Information
  • Research Foundation - Flanders, (1119717N FWO)

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