Visitors enjoying the atmosphere in a store

WHY SCENT YOUR SPACE?

People remember how a space made them feel.

Choose a scent that suits your visitors, your space and your brand.

THE VISITOR EXPERIENCE

Make scent part of your welcome.

A pleasant scent can make the first impression feel warm and welcoming.

Start with entrances and waiting areas, with a gentle scent that feels comfortable.

SCENT IN PRACTICE

Small details. A different experience.

These stories from luxury cars, shops and hotels show how scent can shape the way a place feels.

LUXURY MOTORING

Rolls Royce

A scent people know you by

A familiar feeling, recreated.

A news report in 2000 described a specialist bringing the woody scent of a 1965 Silver Cloud to newer Rolls Royce cars. It shows how a familiar scent can be part of what makes a car feel special.

In 2025, Rolls Royce introduced its own scent concept for Phantom, designed around the materials inside the car.

Consider scent alongside the materials, lighting and service that define your brand.

Sources & context

The 2000 story describes a specialist working on customers’ cars. The 2025 scent was a separate announcement from Rolls Royce itself.

Associated Press, 2000 Rolls Royce Motor Cars, 2025

RETAIL RESEARCH

The shoe experiment

More than how a product looks

The same product. A different setting.

An early study showed people identical sports shoes in two rooms, one with added scent and one without. People said they were more likely to buy the shoes in the scented room.

The space around a product can shape how people feel about it.

Sources & context

Hirsch’s 1995 paper describes the earlier shoe study by Hirsch and Gay. It measured what people said they would buy, rather than what they actually bought.

Hirsch, Psychology & Marketing, 1995

HOSPITALITY RESEARCH

Las Vegas casino

The scent and the setting matter

One fragrance made a measurable difference.

A 1995 study tested two fragrances in a casino. In one scented slot machine area, people gambled 45.1% more money during the test weekend than in the same area on the weekends before and after. The change was statistically significant for one of the two fragrances tested.

Test the fragrance in its real setting and review the response.

Sources & context

The researchers used a statistics test to check how much the results could vary by chance. These findings come from a short test in one place. Other businesses may see different results, depending on the space and scent.

Hirsch, Psychology & Marketing, 1995

Photos show examples of the settings. These stories and studies are separate from RIVIA client work. The brands featured are independent of RIVIA and belong to their owners. Results depend on the place, the scent and how it is used.