Sensory environments as a brand experience.

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Corporate environments, stores, restaurants and cafés. All these places must convey a message to their customers and employees. And that message depends on the brand's positioning.

We can clearly see the difference between a Zara store and a Farm store. Both sell the same product, but each environment has a different approach, from coverings to playlists, and therefore offers a different experience. The physical space is the manifestation of a brand, it must show its essence.

Vision

Human beings are very visual. Who hasn't entered an environment just because it's aesthetically pleasing? So the first impression does count for a lot. Not only the colors chosen, but also the materials and lighting, must convey the right message to the consumer. Specifically in stores, a window display that tells the right story can greatly boost sales. That's why hiring companies specializing in Visual Merchandising is essential. In larger spaces, such as companies, department stores and supermarkets, another very important point is signage. Good signage often goes unnoticed by the user. The size of the signs, their content and where they are installed must be studied so that the information is passed on clearly to the public. A poorly signposted place will always be remembered as a bad experience: "I'm not going back to that place, I got lost and couldn't find what I wanted!".

Smell

You can turn your head, walk and not look at a specific point. You can not touch a garment, try a dish or cover your ears. But it's impossible to escape the act of breathing, and when we breathe we feel a whole new world. Let anyone throw the first stone who has never bought a snack just because they smelled McDonalds in the food court. Working with smells is called "Olfactory Branding" or "Scent Branding" and can not only increase brand awareness, but also improve the perception of product quality and even improve the quality of work for employees. 

A study by psychologist Silvia Álava called "Smells and Emotions" showed that people remember 35% of what they smelled and only 5% of what they saw. 

At the same time, a study by Samsung showed that people exposed to the scent of a brand spend on average 26% longer in the store and visit approximately 3 different product categories. 

In conclusion, we can mention a few brands that have achieved excellence in olfactory branding and have even managed to market their fragrances: Melissa, Le Lis Blanc and MMartan.

Hearing

The right music makes a difference. According to a survey carried out by the Zen MerchandiserAccording to the survey, 63% of the people interviewed stay longer in an establishment when they like the ambient music. In addition, 84% said that music helps to create a positive experience. Not only does it affect the mood of the public and employees, but it also dictates the pace at which people move through the store.

Today there are specific sound identity studies, called "Sound Branding". And these studies go far beyond playlists for restaurants and retail stores; they also extend from call center hold music to automatic password ringtones. Everything can be a potential point of contact between the brand and the consumer.

Taste

Of all the senses to be exploited in retail, the taste is the most particular, because at first it only seems to apply in the context of food and drink. For the F&B industry, the importance of taste is obvious; experiencing something tasty is one of the most important points of the shopping experience in this segment. However, in other areas, taste is underestimated. Our taste buds have just as much potential to create memories as our sense of smell, and this can be a highlight of a customer's visit to your space. Every child remembers the doctor who offered a lollipop at the end of a consultation and made a painful moment a little more pleasant. 

Offering small gifts for your customer to consume during the moment of purchase can increase their time in the store, improve the feeling of relaxation, create more pleasant memories and, consequently, increase the average ticket and the pregnance of the brand. 

When choosing what to offer, it's important to be consistent with your brand identity and your audience, but you also need to think about something that won't cause any kind of harm or damage to your products (such as food that gets very dirty). In addition, the ideal is to think of something striking and easily accessible so that it is always available: that coffee or that candy bar will be another symbol of your brand.

When developing our client Munó's stand for Expo Revestir in 2019, for example, we provided a space to serve a cappuccino that was developed by the brand as part of their identity. This meant that fair-goers stayed at the stand for longer to get to know the products better rather than just passing by.

Tato

Finally, of all the senses, touch is the most obvious to understand its importance. And it all comes down to the phrase "seeing with your hands". People still have a certain resistance to shopping online. The main reason for this is not being able to touch the product and be sure that it corresponds to what you need at the moment. What if it's smaller than expected? The fabric isn't of a good quality?

The desire to touch is human instinct and causes a feeling of belonging in the customer's mind. A good example is the Apple store. All their products are available for the consumer to try, hold and test before buying.

Undoubtedly, it is of the utmost importance that whoever is designing a brand's physical space is already immersed in its world. The concept behind the Bebê Kids store was completely different from that of the Café Garoa. Not because they are completely different industries, but because each brand positions itself in a different way and wants to convey a different feeling to its customers. Each brand is unique and all this must be taken into account. For a differentiated experience, all the senses must be heightened in the right way.

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