Many real estate agents turn to the science of olfactory marketing to boost sales.

When it is time to sell your house, you want the sale to close at the highest possible value. The smell of a house can make or break a sale. The lingering fragrances you hold your nose for are readily picked up by potential buyers and can leave a negative impression on them as they make buying decisions.

It is believed that our olfactory sense, the sense of smell, is the first sense that humans develop. Located at the back of our nose, the olfactory epithelium captures scents in its receptor cells, specialised neurons that transmit the olfactory profile to the brain. Our sense of smell can recognise around 10,000 different odours.

The science of using scent to increase sales

Your sense of smell connects directly to the memory and emotional centres of your brain. That is why the smell of warm biscuits might remind you of childhood. Our brain's olfactory memory compels us to revisit a pleasant experience or avoid the unpleasant. Aromatherapy, popular since the 1990s, shows how scents can alter mood and mental states.

Retailers have for years used fragrance marketing, the deliberate and strategic use of fragrances to drive consumer behaviour and sales. When you walk into a movie theatre, you only smell popcorn despite the other food options available. The same goes for Starbucks. Many shops you frequent have distinct smells that you have unconsciously matched with that retailer. Abercrombie and Finch are famous for their distinctive fragrance that permeates every shop. Perfume diffusers hidden in the air ducts provide a uniform and consistent fragrance throughout the shop windows.

More subtle examples include background scents such as the smell of freshly cut wood that permeates hardware shops like Lowes. Although we expect that strong DIY aroma, there are actually no wood-cutting departments in their shops.

Many real estate agents are turning to the science of scent marketing to drive sales of houses and flats. If you want to use the power of scent to sell your home, there are some tips to consider and avenues to explore.

Use scent to sell your home

Essenzapura offers practical solutions for using scent to sell your home. We have a wide range of fragrances designed for marketing and sales. We provide people like you with the opportunity to use scent the way big retailers do without having to install a new ventilation system throughout your home. We have discreet diffusers like the Anthos 50 or elegant diffusers like the Eos 100 that spread wonderful fragrance notes throughout your home. Use our diffusers to make the sale, then take the diffuser with you to enjoy your new home!

When selecting a perfume, remember that fragrances can become overpowering, quickly. An overpowering smell distracts from your home and can drive away potential buyers. The magic of fragrance marketing is that it is a background device used to tie an experience together. Now is not the time for flashy fragrances and it would be a mistake to make a fragrance selection based only on personal fragrance preferences.

When choosing an olfactory profile for your open house, avoid complex scents or profiles that change from room to room. Studies are showing that the most successful fragrances for home sales are simple one-note fragrances that emphasise calm cleanliness. The top selling fragrances are citrus, herbs, pine and cedar. If you are looking for a sweet kick, try vanilla or cinnamon.

Always consider the location of your home when choosing a perfume. Our olfactory sense is quick to pick up when smells do not match. A strong pine scent for the attic in your metropolis will probably not resonate. Worse still, it might make the potential buyer wonder what unpleasant smell you are trying to mask.