Can a sound be used to illustrate the smell of a perfume? What impact can it have on an e-commerce site to guide the consumer’s choice? How far can the powers of sound go?
After the experience of creating the sound of Viktor & Rolf’s SpiceBomb Infrared fragrance in 2022, IFF – the world’s leading fragrance creator – wanted to measure the impact of this sound on a consumer’s intention to purchase in an online store.
A psycho-acoustic study was carried out with two mirror sites, one with and one without sound, each offering four fragrances. The study focused on the association between hearing and olfaction during an online shopping experience. The results show that sound increases the likelihood of purchasing a fragrance in an e-commerce setting by 58%, and also creates a deep emotional connection with a fragrance. Consumers described the fragrance with intense emotions, despite not having smelled it.
They chose SpiceBomb Infrared fragrance more often when it was presented with sound (47%) than when presented without sound (29%). This effect is amplified if the perceived sound is liked by the consumer (68% vs. 47%).
“Consumers are increasingly shopping online, and this olfactory technology revolution will allow brands and retailers to introduce new fragrances online and accelerate business growth,” said Christophe de Villeplée, president of IFF’s Scent division. “It will also provide consumers with efficient solutions to discover a new fragrance digitally, offering an excellent user experience.”
