Imagine walking into a beautifully staged real estate sales suite. Before your eyes register the view, the finishes, or even the welcome smile at the reception desk—your subconscious has already made a judgment. All because of how the space smells.
That’s no exaggeration. According to the Sense of Smell Institute, humans can recall scents with about 65% accuracy after one year—compared to just 50% for visuals after three months. In other words, the atmosphere you create isn't just seen. It’s inhaled, felt, and remembered.
For premium real estate developers and yacht builders, immersive marketing already means more than high-end renders or virtual walkthroughs. Now, the next frontier is here: engaging the full sensory spectrum to enhance decision-making, brand connection, and emotional resonance. Scent—the often forgotten sense—has a more powerful role than most realize.
Smell is more than a mere sensory detail; it’s a shortcut to memory and emotion. As Martin Lindstrom explains in his book Brand Sense, “75% of the emotions we generate every day are influenced by smell.” Our olfactory system connects directly to the limbic system, the brain’s emotional core, making scent uniquely positioned to spark memories and emotional responses without conscious effort.
What does this mean in practical terms? Incorporating scent into your marketing arsenal turns a passive showroom visit or event into an emotional anchor. In Sensory Marketing, Bertil Hultén cites a study showing that scent-infused print advertisements increased reader engagement by as much as 84%—a powerful stat for anyone aiming to break through the noise.
Selling off-plan residences or showcasing future yachts means helping someone feel at home in something that doesn’t exist yet. Immersive visuals offer one path. But scent adds another layer, helping prospective buyers emotionally connect to a project long before foundations are poured or keels are laid. The right scent can bridge imagination and conviction, guiding the decision-making journey.
Immersive storytelling is most effective when it appeals to emotion. Scent enhances immersion, offering a subtle, strategic tool to evoke the right feeling—luxury, calm, excitement—at the right time. It's not about overwhelming the senses, but deepening the experience.
Scent isn’t just experiential—it’s effective. Research repeatedly confirms the commercial upside of sensory activation:
Sales galleries can introduce scent into lounges, private tour zones, and handover ceremonies. A warm amber or woody note communicates permanence and prestige. Yacht showrooms or exhibitions might diffuse a subtle ocean breeze or teakwood aroma—evoking life onboard without stepping aboard.
Real-time 3D tours create emotional clarity in the minds of buyers. Coordinating these digital narratives with a physical sensory layer—especially scent—maximizes the emotional stickiness of your marketing.
The science behind scent doesn’t just point to mood shifts—it shows clear behavioral impact.
In a study published in Procedia, researchers Alina Gagarina and Indrė Pikturnienė found that a high-intensity peppermint aroma lowered risk perception and increased bidding behavior in a simulated purchase scenario.
Even when the scent has nothing to do with the product, it can have a measurable impact. A study published in the Journal of Business Research found that pleasant ambient scents led to increased satisfaction and improved perception of product quality.
Gagarina and Pikturnienė’s work also showed that anchoring and affect heuristics can be unconsciously influenced by the presence and intensity of scent.
By carefully curating scent environments in physical touchpoints such as VIP viewings, launch events or headset unboxings, you create a sense of ease and trust that visuals or printed materials alone may not convey. Scent helps move buyers from consideration to commitment.
Just like a logo or color palette, scent can be trademarked, creating a branded asset that follows your project across physical and digital touchpoints. As described by Hultén in Sensory Marketing, this 'scent logo' can become part of the brand’s sensory identity.
When selected strategically, product-congruent scents significantly outperform generic air fresheners. According to Hultén, these congruent aromas create coherence and boost positive perception.
A buyer encountering the same signature scent—when receiving a brochure, entering a sales suite, or attending a branded event—forms a lasting emotional connection. This continuity builds memory. And memory builds trust.
Hultén also notes that multi-sensory branding—engaging both sight and smell—can increase brand recognition by up to 30% compared to visuals alone.
→ Identify a Brand-Congruent Scent: Align your scent choice with the emotional tone of your brand.
→ Use Scent at Key Decision Points: Entryways, sales presentations, handover events, headset packaging.
→ Test Intensity Carefully: Higher-intensity peppermint was most effective at reducing perceived risk—but balance is essential.
→ Consider Scent Branding: Develop a trademarked aroma with a scent branding expert to build recall and consistency.
Scent is no longer a finishing touch or afterthought. It is a strategic tool, one that shapes perception, enhances emotional memory, and reduces buyer hesitation.
When paired with high-fidelity 3D environments, it is a powerful differentiator that doesn’t just show buyers what they’re getting, but makes them feel it.
Looking to build experiences that aren’t just seen but remembered? This is where your sensory strategy begins.
