Retail Marketing - Shopping Center Marketing

A new study reveals that women exposed to the scent of chocolate chip cookies spent more money than those that didn’t smell the baked goods. Even though they were told they were on a strict budget the women, apparently maddened by the irresistible smell, went hog wild buying things on impulse.

Exposure to something that whets the appetite, such as a picture of a mouthwatering dessert, can make a person more impulsive with unrelated purchases, finds a study from the February 2008 issue of the Journal of Consumer Research. For example, the researchers reveal in one experiment that the aroma of chocolate chip cookies can prompt women on a tight budget to splurge on a new item of clothing.

[Full Story at Shopping Blog]