Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 18th April 2024 Issue no. 1110
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A loo can be luxurious too - how scent offers a sense of opulence
Writes Matt Wonnacott, founder of Ennovamark - a new agency created to help brands and businesses develop effective innovations and marketing strategies.
"We recently read an article about how society is now living in the 'lifestyle era'. Customers are apparently prioritising experience and place greater value on the spaces where they live, work and socialise. They want a sense of luxury and chase the feeling of a luxurious lobby in the comforts of their lounge.
But we would argue this was already starting to happen pre-pandemic years and the lockdowns have only made the desire for luxury and the need for 'experience' in public spaces more pivotal. Coming from a hygiene, scent and washroom background, don't forget, we feel and know that a loo can be luxurious too!
Focus on luxury:
From home design to hotels, the 'fashionable' $4.3 trillion lifestyle sector is set for accelerated growth, and social media is influencing this. The Prada Caffè opened its doors at Harrods in London earlier this month, and a viral TikTok showcasing the cafe recorded 220,000 views within the first 24 hours of the upload. Judging by the reviews and comments, people were amazed at the luxury and extravagance.
We've seen this demand for luxury in other areas too, even in the way people travel to these retail paradises - people want the feeling of luxury before they've even arrived - there are so many pop-up 'luxury' cab firms now offering starry roofed, leather seated chauffeur driven Mercedes vans to drop you at your favourite department store, waiting while you 'shop til' you drop'.
Facilities becoming more 'fashionable' with fragrance:
As mentioned, we've already seen this march to luxury happening, in the 'unfashionable' facilities sector of all places and the relationship public spaces have with scent.
This focus on luxury started before the pandemic, and it was a global change that has continued since public spaces reopened to visitors.
Fragrance creating an immersive experience:
It could be said that there is nothing like fragrance for brands and businesses to build a more deeper, meaningful relationship with their clients. We are living in an experiential period. People want experiences and memories. First impressions are everything too and fragrance can help brands create the sense of luxury whilst also creating an immersive experience that is unforgettable, in even the most undesirable of spaces.
Retail knows that fragrance is fashionable - and pays:
There is science supporting the use of fragrance to help engagement in retail and help fashion brands connect with their customers on a deeper level, too. I have previously studied the relationship between scent and purchasing behaviours.
A piece of research I found, from Lindstrom (2005), showed that 84% of people were more likely to buy shoes, or liked them more, in a scented room than in a non-scented room. In the same study, many of the subjects reported they would pay 10-15% more for the product.
Away from home becoming more like home:
As demand and focus grows in making 'away from home' spaces feel 'more like home' and more 'luxurious', a growing set of clients are shifting towards what most would consider 'opulent' fragrances.
Think of a rich, sumptuous Bergamot & Sandalwood, Lemongrass, White Tea or other high end fragrances as opposed to the more 'traditional' options, such as the standard citrus or orange.
Remember, with scent, a loo can be luxurious, just like the grand and luxurious lobby, too."
25th May 2023