As a retailer, you may like to have a customized scent instead of a generic fragrance. A customized perfume concoction or blend may better bring out the character or essence of your brand. The idea is to make sure consumers associate your brand with the unique scent. Then scent becomes a brand communication tool aiding consumers to remember your brand name.

Besides for brand-scent recognition, there are immediate on-site benefits to retailers. The truth is it is increasingly challenging for retailers to capture customers’ attention because consumers are flooded with plenty of choices (where to shop, what to buy, etc). Hence, scents can help to attract walk-in traffic. Singapore's famous shopping mall Ion Orchard is a good example of large-scale application of scent marketing. Many shoppers are attracted to the mall because it is simply uplifting to shop there.

Scents trigger buying emotions: While customers are in store, scent helps to create the right emotional mood and ambience for shoppers, and lowers the phychological buying barrier. According to studies, happy customers generally stay longer in store and are likely to make a purchase than otherwise. Happy customers also tend to make a larger transaction because they simply feel good and relaxed.

Suggested applications for scents: Scent marketing works best in enclosed store areas. Scents can be piped into the entire premise or at certain spots (such as checkout area). Depending on store design, it is possible to use different scents at different areas (a technique known as spot scenting).