Sensory Marketing and its Effects on Consumers
Introduction
Sensory marketing is a type of marketing that takes into consideration the senses of the consumers and thereby affects the ways in which they behave. This works towards ensuring that the products or services being offered are of high quality. Quality in this perspective can be defined as that which satisfies the customer. Therefore sensory aspects for example smell, aesthetics, touch are sensations that increase the appeal of a product or service. This is because they affect the emotions of the consumers, their choices, preferences and perceptions and thus change the consumer consumption and use of the products or services. Today, consumers want to be emotionally involved in their process of purchasing. By sensory marketing, am organization seeks to make stronger the relationship that exists between their brand and those who consume it. By making additions of a sensory dimension to the strategy of marketing, the equity of the product is strengthened and this implies strengthening of the bond between the product and the customer.
Discussion
In the market of today, consumers do not take into consideration more of the functional attributes of a product or service but how they are emotionally involved in making purchases and how the product or service that they are offered meets their expectations. Thus the organizations have to create an atmosphere in their marketing environment. According to Kotler (1973) “Atmospherics is an effort to design buying environments to produce specific emotional effects in the buyer that enhance his purchase probability.” This means that it is of important consideration the affection of the buyer if the organization were to determine the behavior of buying.
By integrating the five senses that is taste, hear, touch, smell and sight into the products offered, the consumer-product relationship is stimulated. This further fosters an emotional connection that lasts for long and therefore resulting to consumer loyalty. By sensory marketing, the value of a product is enhanced since this is a psychological procedure (Elder, & Krishna, 2010). The product thus gains a competitive advantage since the consumers uniquely associate with it. By sensory marketing, a product gains the trust of its consumers and this implies that such a product can assist in making the decision on the product to purchase.
Sensory marketing creates an awareness and image of the product in the consumers. The customers have association with the products; in the mind. The perceptions of the consumer are shifted from being holistic to specific. This then ties the consumer to a product or service regardless of whether there are other similar products in the market that are of even greater quality. It’s simple that the consumer will feel that their preferences are being considered and that is why they will tend to stick to that particular service or product.
Whether consciously or unconsciously, the consumers are affected by the strategies of sensory marketing and the sensory triggers that are used. The result of this is the behavior becoming less rational and the associations with the product increase leading to greater product equity. The sensory stimulus that an organization uses generate preferences for the product or service among the consumers which can either be on conscious or even unconscious levels. By accelerating and strengthening the customer-product relationship, which is achieved by sensory marketing, the organization benefits from customer loyalty.
It’s not just enough to offer products to consumers. The importance is how familiar the consumers are with the product. In sensory marketing, one of the main considerations is how the products interact within the market. It is these attributes of the product that govern the decision of the consumer to either buy or refuse the product. Once the preferences of the consumers have been taken into consideration, their purchasing power is also controlled.
It is evident that human beings will naturally need to have aesthetics in the products that they purchase. This then comes to the aspect of sensory marketing in that it will be inclusive of visual marketing. Aesthetics is an existential human need. The purchasing of the consumers is affected in various ways. For instance, organization will choose the colors of their products. Once a product has the preferred color of the consumer, they will most probably go for it. This is also in terms of advertising. If an advert catches the eye of a consumer, they will prefer that product or service to others.
Sound marketing has effects on the consumers. Here sound is utilized as a way of arousing the consumer feelings and thus favoring the buying act. For instance, music is used in various stores as a means of enforcing the product or service identity. Smell drives the emotional value that a consumer attaches to the product on sale (Bone & Jantrania, 1992). This is even true that it can be perceived even before all other means of sensory marketing. A product with a good smell has biased perception in terms of time among the consumers. This is because it modifies the perception of the consumer. For example, the smell of perfumes and further smell can act as a guide. For instance in shops, the smell of foods is a guide to the customer on the parts that they should look from.
Taste effectively differentiates products. According to Elder & Krishna (2010) taste is not just the experience that one has by use of their tongue. It also means that the perception on taste can be changed by the advertisements that are used since these affect the sensory cognitions. Taste then goes a long way not just in food stuffs but also in other products or even services. For instance, if an advert for a certain restaurant is well structured such that as one reads or watches the advert, they have the feeling of wanting to taste the food or enjoy the services being offered, then they will ensure that they go and make their purchases from that place. This shows how the advert, by creating a taste has influenced the purchasing of the consumer.
By touch (Tactile) marketing, there is the creation of acquaintance of the product or service. An example of this can be having a ground that is comfortable for the customers for instance a clean and smooth well furnished carpet or even comfortable chairs. This though might seem as a minor act, will create a good perception among the customers. Simply for the comfort that the consumers experience when they go to make purchase, they will tend to go back to the same place for similar or other purchases. For instance, in a restaurant setting, the weight of the spoons determines the perception of the customers about the service as well as the meal being offered.
The success of their products or services is one of the resources that are most valuable to an organization. However, consumers have different perceptions on products and services. This is because their preferences are also varied. This then shows that the attributes that different consumers will attach to the same product will be varied. Whatever color that one consumer attaches their emotions to may be what another consumer considers as the worst. Preferences come in various ways for example the comfort associated with the service or product, and how well the product is able to meet the needs or wants of the consumers. Furthermore, the wants of the consumers will also be varied.
Consumer perceptions are also affected by the environment. The environment that a consumer is in influence their perceptions and thereby their purchasing behaviors in that the consumer may be in an environment in which the people perceive a certain product or service as good or of the best quality. Therefore, the consumer will want to have the same experience as the other people around them. On the other hand, perception can also be created negatively. If in the environment that a certain consumer lives in, a certain product is viewed negatively; the consumer will also form a negative perception towards that product.
Access to information about services or products is a determinant of the consumer perceptions towards the product or service. The information or rather knowledge that a consumer has determines and influences their abilities to make decisions. This then influences the outcome in the market. This is also determined by the way in which the information is presented to the customer. This then takes in the issue of advertisements and the ways in which organizations will advertise for their products as well as their services. The information that the consumer gets allows them to know if the item will be satisfactory to them or not.
It is essential that organizations or firms study their consumers so as to be able to make improvements on their strategies of marketing. This is by understanding various issues for example, the psychology of the thinking, feelings, and reasoning of the customers, the behaviors that customers exhibit in their shopping or even in the process of making decisions on marketing. For the marketing to be effective and have increased outcomes, organizations should also understand that that the motivation as well as strategies for making decisions among consumers differs with products. This can be on the basis of the consumer interests or even the levels of importance of the product and service.
The perceptions that a consumer has can be dependent on personal, social or psychological factors. Some of the personal factors can be age, race or even sex. For instance, young people and old people have different reasons for making purchases. The psychological factors are the motivating factors in the buying of the consumer (Reimann, Zaichkowsky, Neuhaus & Weber, 2010). This follows the Maslow hierarchy of needs in that the consumer will at different times be at different level in the hierarchy. These are physiological, safety, love and belonging, esteem and self actualization. The social influences on consumer perception are the opinions of leaders, the culture, social class, the family of the consumer and other reference groups.
Personally I find aesthetics as the greatest convincing factor towards making purchases. The recognition of beauty is what gives me a great experience in purchasing. This is because beauty gives a view of the product even before having the real interaction with it. For me, the initial appreciation of a product comes from the visual components that are attached to it. As shown by Krishna, Elder & Caldara (2010) aesthetic pleasure also incorporates mastery. This is because this aesthetic pleasure is a basic pleasure. From the basis that is presented by the aesthetics, I am able to build a mastery of the product.
Most if not all human beings want to be associated with things that are beautiful. This beauty is what I consider as a great determinant and the perceptions that I hold towards various products. Beauty can be in different forms. For instance the color of the product. If the product is in my preferred color, then I will prefer it to other products of same or similar value. It is the satisfaction that comes with having what one likes. Another aspect of aesthetics is the shape and size of the product (Bloch, Brunel & Arnold, 2003). Products that have similar functions will often be presented in different shapes as well as sizes. For me, the size of the product determines the portability of the product. I do not want to get something that is too difficult to carry for instance is too bulky while a smaller product would serve the same purpose.
The other sense that stimulates my purchasing is the sense of touch. This is because it improves the positive feelings that I have towards a product or even service. Further, it enhances confidence when judging a particular product. In the market, similar products can be offered in different texture or softness. Therefore, when making purchases, the texture of the product will determine if I will purchase it or not. In most cases, I will prefer items that are soft and have a smooth texture. The products having my preferred touch or even touching them in deciding on whether to make the purchase or not increases my confidence in them.
The sense of touch also heightens the beliefs that I have towards the quality of the products or services being offered. For instance, in terms of services if the service is satisfactory in terms of the interaction that I have with the service provider, then I will consider the service as of good quality and will always go back for similar services when a need arises. This is what organizations have to understand; that the customer services that they offer determine a lot on the repeat business that they will get. In other words this can be referred to as customer intimacy.
As a consumer, the self analysis of the sensory stimuli will shape my expectations. For instance, I will always expect to be offered goods as well as services that are appealing to the eyes and those that have a sense of touch in them. This is what will determine my purchasing. Therefore, I perceive that in the future, I will be able to always access products that will satisfy my needs and wants. However, I have realized that his may also have negative effects. It is not always that want one wants will be delivered and especially in times of emergencies. I have thus realized that in the future, I may have to make changes depending on the conditions.
Conclusion
By making additions of a sensory dimension to the strategy of marketing, the equity of the product is strengthened and this implies strengthening of the bond between the product and the customer. Sensory marketing is suitable for making reinforcements on the value of a product or service. By sensory marketing, the consumer is influenced whether consciously or unconsciously. This consequently makes the consumer have positive preferences and their buying behavior is triggered. Sensory marketing which involves the use of the five senses that is smell, sound, sight, touch and taste is an effective way of earning business for the products and services that an organization offers. Before an organization implements their strategy for sensory marketing, it is important to carry out an analysis of the consumers and to know their preferences. This is because consumers have individual perceptions and knowledge on a particular service or product can be different between different markets.
References
Bloch, P.H., Brunel, F.F. & Arnold, T.J. (2003). Individual differences in the centrality of visual product aesthetics: concept and measurement. Journal of consumer research. Volume 29 (4), p. 551-565.
Bone, P.F. & Jantrania, S. (1992). Olfaction as a cue for product quality. Marketing letters. Volume 3 (3), p. 289-296.
Elder, R.S. & Krishna, A. (2010). The effects of advertising copy on sensory thoughts and perceived taste. Journal of consumer research. Volume 36, p. 748-756.
Kotler, P. (1973). Atmospherics as a marketing tool. Journal of retailing. Volume 49 (4), p. 48-64.
Krishna, A., Elder, R.S. & Caldara, C. (2010). Feminine to smell but masculine to touch? multisensory congruence and its effects on the aesthetic experience. Journal of consumer psychology. Volume 20 (4), p. 410-418.
Reimann, M., Zaichkowsky, J., Neuhaus, C. & Weber, B. (2010). Aesthetic package design: a behavioral, neural and psychological investigation. Journal of consumer psychology. Volume 20 (4), p. 431-441.
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