Title |
Chocolate scents and product sales: a randomized controlled trial in a Canadian bookstore and café
|
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Published in |
SpringerPlus, May 2016
|
DOI | 10.1186/s40064-016-2303-5 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Mary C. McGrath, Peter M. Aronow, Vivien Shotwell |
Abstract |
We report the results of a 31-day trial on the effects of chocolate scent on purchasing behavior in a bookstore. Our study replicates and extends a 10-day randomized controlled trial in order to examine the generalizability of the original finding. We first introduce the study of store atmospherics and highlight the importance and dearth of replication in this area. In the next section, we describe the original study and discuss the theory of ambient scent effects on product sales, and the role of scent-product congruity. We then describe our design and methods, followed by presentation and discussion of our results. We find no evidence that chocolate scent affects sales. These findings indicate the importance of replication in varied settings. Contextual factors and the choices available to customers may moderate the effects of ambient scent on purchasing behavior. Our study highlights the value of examining the generalizability of experimental findings, both for theory and practice. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
South Africa | 1 | 50% |
Netherlands | 1 | 50% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 2 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 26 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 4 | 15% |
Librarian | 3 | 12% |
Student > Bachelor | 3 | 12% |
Professor | 2 | 8% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 1 | 4% |
Other | 5 | 19% |
Unknown | 8 | 31% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Business, Management and Accounting | 4 | 15% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 3 | 12% |
Social Sciences | 2 | 8% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 2 | 8% |
Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 2 | 8% |
Other | 4 | 15% |
Unknown | 9 | 35% |