Unlocking the Power of Air Fresheners

Fragrances play a crucial role in shaping customer perceptions, emotions, and behaviours. Whether in public spaces, retail environments, or washrooms, the right scent can influence habits, improve experiences, and even drive spending. Businesses increasingly use air freshening systems to enhance ambience, create emotional connections, and reinforce perceptions of cleanliness.

The Role of Scent in Public Spaces

Public spaces such as offices, shopping centres, hotels, and restaurants often use air freshening systems. Scent subtly signals the environment’s hygiene and quality. Chelsey Schwartz, Vice President of Marketing at Vectair, explains:

“Ultimately it is all about reinforcing the ambience the facility is trying to create and making a positive first impression on the visitor.”

Schwartz highlights that scent can also influence mood, whether by relaxing visitors or energising them. “Choosing a fragrance and delivery system that aligns with a company’s business goals can have really impactful results,” she says. She notes a move away from traditional citrus scents to more luxurious fragrances in premium washrooms to elevate the experience.
 

Scent Marketing and Customer Behaviour

Fragrances can strongly influence customer behaviour. Dorothee Dinner, Marketing and Communications Director at Hyprom, explains:

“In the first case, the main objective will be to create an olfactory ambience that puts the customer in a positive mood with the hope that this will lead to a prolonged visit and a purchase.”

Dinner adds that a pleasant smell can inspire confidence and encourage spending. “A pleasant smell in a bar, spa or even a retail store will make you want to stay and spend money,” she says.

While citrus scents are effective for masking odours, Dinner stresses that creating emotional connections requires more complex, perfume-like formulations. “However, the composition of the scent will be more complex and closer to a skin perfume when creating a pleasant atmosphere,” she explains.

Reinforce Ambience and Cleanliness

Fragrance is particularly important in shaping perceptions of cleanliness, especially in public washrooms. Jenny Turner, Communications Director at Essity, emphasises its impact on a business’s reputation.

Essity’s 2024 Tork Insight Survey found that 64% of respondents considered air fresheners to be “either very or extremely important” in public washrooms, rising to 67% for restaurants. “Overall there was a clear preference for scented washrooms in our survey, with three out of four people preferring the presence of scent,” she says.

Bad odours can trigger complaints and harm a business’s image. Turner notes that many traditional air fresheners fail due to their ‘spray and fade’ effect, where scent quickly dissipates.

Influence Mood and Behaviour

The emotional impact of fragrance is significant. Séverine Bossaert, Commercial Export Manager at Prodifa, explains that scents can differentiate establishments and build emotional bonds with customers.

“If the source of any unpleasant smells cannot be eliminated, a fragrance diffusion system will be required to remove any doubts about the hygiene of the environment,” she says. “The key here is to use a device which encapsulates the undesirable olfactory molecules and then eliminates them once and for all.”

Bossaert believes the right fragrance can influence behaviour at the point of sale. “It will differentiate the establishment and create an emotional bond with the customer while also generating positive emotions,” she says. “It can also act as a stimulus for impulse-buying and make the customer more inclined to explore the products and services on offer.”

Enhancing the Customer Experience

Fragrances are powerful tools for businesses aiming to influence habits, improve perceptions, and drive customer satisfaction. Whether by masking odours, reinforcing cleanliness, or creating emotional connections, the right scent can transform the visitor experience.

Schwartz concludes, “The right fragrance - when paired with other higher-end washroom features - can become a finishing touch in creating an upmarket experience.”

For businesses where first impressions matter, fragrances are invaluable for enhancing customer satisfaction, encouraging longer visits, and boosting sales. By aligning scent systems with brand goals and customer expectations, businesses can create lasting positive experiences.