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Fragrance- Free Nation:Malls and Scents-How Retail Stores Use Ambient Aromas

© Sharon Rorem

Today I tried to shop in one of our local malls. I say, "tried", because for people with allergies and reactions to perfumes and ambient scents shopping can be a nightmare. Some people have reactions so severe that they can't breathe and must carry inhalers with them at all times. I get lightheaded, headachy, and feel as though I could lie down and sleep right on the floor. This feeling doesn't go away immediately after leaving the mall or store. If I am able to take a nap when I get home, I will do that. I guess the next time I can't sleep at night I should just find some 24 - hour shopping mall and walk through that for 20 minutes.

But your local mall doesn't spray anything in the air, right? Think about it. Don't you feel a little something odd as you walk around that mall awhile? Do you feel differently in different stores in the mall? Would it surprise you to know that this is a deliberate act on the retailer's part to make you feel a certain way in that store? Well, here's an eye opener - the scent is deliberate and the scent is commonly called an ambient aroma, described as "the dispersal of subtle natural aromas into the air in an environment."

Next time you are in a shopping mall or some place like a movie theater, look up at the ceiling. You may see a box like the one shown above. This is an AromaBox, and probably came from a company like the Aroma Company. This box sprays an aroma in the air, covering up to 2,000 square feet. Ambient aromas are big business. If you don't believe me, check this website:

http://www.aromaco.co.uk/

The Aroma Company creates aromas for businesses, museums, shopping centers, and retail stores, magazines...the list is almost endless. Why? Specific scents or ambient aromas are supposed to make the people entering a place of business recall a pleasant memory or get a certain feeling about that business. One of the places this was tested was Blockbuster. In December 2001, Blockbuster did a trial run in four of its flagship stores in London, England. Four ambient scents were sprayed in four different areas of the store- rose in the romance section, gunpowder in the action section, banana in the comedy section, and vanilla by the candy section. Simon Harrop, Managing Director of The Aroma Company, explained the concept in a press release: "When a fragrance is linked to a purchase decision the pleasure of that buying process can be recreated next time you encounter the smell - psychologists call this cognitive assonance - which can be used by retailers to encourage future spending." Of course, for some of us, all it does is those ambient fragrances do is put us to sleep or cause health problems. I wonder if anyone thought of that.

AromaBox

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