The first thing you notice upon approaching Alderwood Mall is the smell. It hits you before you even open the door, and quickly envelops your entire being. Once inside, the olfactory assault comes at you from all angles: the baking brown sugar emanating from Mrs. Fields Cookies, the warm bready pretzels arising from Auntie Anne’s, the cinnamony sweetness wafting out from Yankee Candle. This is no accident.
Retailers are increasingly using scents as a way to entice customers into their stores. An article earlier this year in the Wall Street Journal noted that the fragrances that businesses diffuse through heating and air-conditioning vents have become key elements of those businesses’ brands. Even hotels, apartment buildings, hospitals, and gyms have gotten into the “scent marketing” game.
Many of these scents are produced by ScentAir, a Charlotte, North Carolina–based company that claims to be “the largest and most experienced scent provider,” operating in 105 countries…
