Paintbrush manufacturer Harris is providing its own scented fragrance to independent stockists of its products, bringing "retail neuroscience" to DIY sales.
The company’s retail partners will be provided with a specially developed scent named 'Home by Harris'.
It has been working with fragrance house, Scent Perfique, to create a smell that creates a sense of home. Harris cited data compiled in an infographic by Alternatives Finder when it announced the move, which suggests consumers spend more in a scented shopping environment.
The manufacturer said it is doing its bit to make decorating more fun.
It is estimated that 95% of all purchase decisions are subconsciously driven. This provides businesses with the opportunity to guide the thinking of consumers in subtle ways – with colour, lighting, and smell.
Retailers such as Hugo Boss and Bloomingdales use scents in stores, while Langham Hotels says it employs a lemongrass and ginger scent to create a signature memory prompt.
Stuart Hobbs, sales and marketing director at Harris, said: “Our retail partners and customers respond well to inventive products and ideas.
“There is a serious element in trying to understand the complex drivers behind consumer behaviour but if nothing else we’re sending our retailers a wonderful room spray and their customers get the chance to shop in a fragrant environment.
“Changing attitudes towards DIY are both a challenge and an opportunity. Rather than simply commentating upon how the younger generation tend not to find pleasure in DIY like many of their parents did, we need to take responsibility to make it a more attractive proposition.”
The company has also collaborated with Worcester University in a hedonomics study to make its products more visually appealing.
