Short answer
The best way to measure the effect of scent marketing is to choose a goal in advance, take a baseline measurement and then compare the same KPIs during a controlled scent period. Turnover alone is usually insufficient to understand exactly what scent changes.
Start with one question
Before a scent is installed, it must be clear what you want to improve. For example:
- should the shop be experienced as more pleasant?
- do you want more brand recognition?
- do you want visitors to discover more zones?
- do you want to reduce odour nuisance?
- do you want several locations to feel more consistent?
Without a concrete question, almost any result will be interpreted afterwards as a success or a failure.
Three types of KPIs
You can measure the effect at three levels.
Behaviour: length of stay, conversion, average spend, repeat visits or use of specific zones.
Experience: customer satisfaction, atmosphere rating, comfort, perceived quality or open feedback.
Brand: spontaneous brand recognition, associations with the brand, recognition of the scent and consistency between locations.
For odour nuisance, other measurements are relevant, such as the number of complaints, intensity scores and the moments when the disturbing odour occurs.
Work with a baseline measurement
First measure a period without any change. Then install the scent and compare a similar period. For example, avoid a baseline measurement in a quiet February and a scent test during the Christmas rush.
An A/B set-up between comparable locations is even stronger, as long as the branches are sufficiently similar.
Don't change everything at once
New music, new visual merchandising, extra staff, promotions and a new scent in the same week make conclusions almost impossible.
A simple test with fewer variables is often more valuable than a complicated dashboard with poor comparability.
Don't just ask: "Do you like the scent?"
That is a limited question. A brand scent doesn't have to be every visitor's personal favourite perfume style.
Better questions are: "How pleasant do you find the space?", "Which words suit this environment?" or "How well does the atmosphere suit the brand?"
Look at the long term too
Some benefits, such as scent recognition and associative learning, arise through repetition. You can't fully measure those after three days.
A professional evaluation therefore combines short-term metrics with long-term observation.