Real estate agents around the world have been telling their clients that one of the secrets to selling their homes is to fill the air with the smell of freshly brewed coffee and delicious baked bread. Now, one award-winning U.K. house builder is adding the smells of white tea and figs to the list of smells that lead to sales.
It’s a well-known fact that smells sell, from the ‘new car smell’ now bottled and available to buy, through to leading U.S. retailer Bloomingdales which has used scent marketing in their stores to boost sales. There’s even a new ‘Wake up and smell the bacon’ iPhone app and device that wafts the appealing smell of cured meat in time with your alarm clock.
Smells have a big impact on the way we value products, and that’s why scent marketing is rapidly growing in popularity – not only with retailers but also with forward-thinking house builders such as Millgate.
Millgate’s Sales & Marketing Director Johnathan Cranley, said: “We pride ourselves on being cutting edge and embracing new technologies. An extraordinary amount of care and attention goes into each and every one of our show homes, from the interior design through to the soft furnishings, the brand of hand wash in the bathrooms and what is stocked in the wine cellar or pantry.
“This obsession to detail led us to consider not only what our homes look like but also how they smell to potential buyers, which is why we now use the perfect scent of white tea and fig from global scent innovators, ScentAir, in our show homes.
“We do believe that scent is a powerful way to connect on emotional and memorable levels with our customers, forging a greater association when a buyer first walks into a Millgate home.”
It seems that scents really do make sense as over half of the luxury apartments at Westbrook House in Ascot, where the ScentAir of white tea and fig is gently infused, are now sold.
Eight apartments have been snapped up within just a few weeks of launching and visitor feedback on Holland Place, a stunning collection of six-bedroom detached homes in Sunninghill, which also carry the evocative scent, is extremely positive.
Cranley added: “After extensive testing and consideration, we selected the white tea and fig scent for our homes as the blend creates a soothing, luxurious environment. From its roots in China, white tea is renowned for its health benefits whilst fig exudes a sophisticated yet subtle scent which appeals to our buyers.
“The response to the scent from visitors has been so positive that we are now introducing ScentAir to all our developments, once again raising the bar when it comes to show home design and innovation. Using more or our buyer’s senses to form a bond with a home could play a vital role in the buying process.”
Andrew Batt, International Group Editor of PropertyGuru Group,
wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email andrew@propertyguru.com.sg
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