They found that when a scent that is compatible with the environment is added (for example, the scent of coffee in promoting a local café, or a peaty grassy scent in promoting travel to the Scottish Highlands), it makes the consumer feel more immersed into the experience, which increases the positive response towards the product. In short: olfactory cues heightened immersion which in turn elicits a peak experience (flow), which ultimately improves brand responses.

Kirsten Cowan, Senior Lecturer in Marketing and lead author on the paper said: “We are so excited by the findings of this paper. Technology headsets and masks are advancing at a staggering rate, many now with the tech required to produce triggered smells at specific points in time. As a society as we move towards doing more virtually (like holding work meetings or running classroom lessons), how can we best ‘plug’ people in to work and learn most effectively? We really think the key here could be in scent stimuli!”

“We are now looking at where we can tap into experiences that influence our actions and if we can observe behavioural changes to address things such as climate change. Imagine, if we can use VR games (something fun!) to make these big societal changes? If scent makes VR more persuasive, there are many avenues that we can explore and impact across different industries.”

Read the paper in full