Saturday, February 25, 2012

Marketing Through Senses

When walking into a store that sells any type of good, I can't help but wonder what products i'll see closest to the entrance and which ones will be located at the back of the store. There has to be a reason why products are placed where they're placed. This is most apparent in stores like supermarkets. When I walked into a supermarket the other day, the first thing I did was smell the aromas of freshly cooked bread. The bakery was located right at the entrance. This makes plenty of sense so people are enticed by other senses besides sight. The next thing I notice is the produce section directly in front of me. It is a very open area so it is quite easy to see all of the fresh fruits and vegetables. The lack of processed food in my initial view at the entrance of the store makes sense. Besides obvious nutrition, these fresh foods also have something that these packaged foods do not. They have the distinct smell of fresh food. When I first realized how the use of smell in the entrance of a supermarket is part of marketing it fascinated me. Marketing can be proven more effective through targeting other human senses besides sight. For instance, retail stores like Macy's don't just have clothes in them. They sell items like perfumes that people enjoy. Also, wholesale stores like Costco use free samples to help market some of their goods. This is using taste to help market a wholesale product that is often packaged instead of freshly made. These are my examples but I don't know. Are there any other major ways products are marketed without the use of sight besides these ones I've stated here?