Ted Lawrence, retail specialist and vice president
of Pro Sales at KIK/Biolab,
posed a crucial question
during his presentation on “Maximize
Revenue in Retail” at the 2023 AQUA
Live Leadership Retreat: “What do
consumers seek when they leave their
homes, get into their cars, and embark
on a shopping journey?”
It’s an engaging and stimulating
experience, he says, that appeals to the
five senses: sight, touch, taste, smell
and sound.
The five senses play a crucial role in
creating a memorable and immersive
retail environment. Pool and spa dealers
can leverage sensory experiences to
engage customers, enhance their
shopping journey, and ultimately
influence their purchasing decisions.
Here’s a breakdown of the importance
of each sense in a retail setting.
1. SIGHT
Visual appeal is an important factor in drawing customers
and crafting a positive initial impression.
Lawrence, in his presentation, shared a
critical insight — modern customers not only expect showrooms to be organized
but also demand fresh, eye-catching
displays. For the pool and spa dealer,
one effective strategy for achieving this is
through seasonal changeouts.
Lawrence advises, “Aim for a
minimum of three seasonal changeouts
annually.” For those situated above the
frost line, he suggests promoting pool
opening kits in early spring. In summer,
a 4th of July theme can tap into
customers’ patriotic sentiments. And
end-of-year sales and holiday-themed
showroom decorations can foster a
joyful and festive atmosphere.
Showroom lighting can also set the right mood within the store and influence customer perception. “There’s a Kelvin scale that
starts around 1,000 and goes up to
10,000,” says Lawrence. “The higher
the number, the whiter the light will
appear, which in turn, creates a sense
of cleanliness. A doctor’s office looks so
sterile because they’re running a 10,000
Kelvin light, whereas the apples in a
grocery store look so red because they’re
running a 4,000 Kelvin light. When
you’re trying to highlight a high-end
product, like a swim spa for example,
you want to be running around a 4,000
Kelvin light in order to bring out the
color. It’s important to note that the
higher you go in Kelvin, the cleaner you
have to keep your showroom products.”
In the contemporary era dominated
by smartphones and widespread
addiction to these devices, Lawrence
also proposes integrating digital signage
into showrooms. “A television or digital
photo frame is a great way to get digital
signage into your retail store,” he says.
“Consumers are attracted to screens.
We’re attracted to our cell phone
screens, our television screens, any
screen really, so why not include a screen
with a video explaining how a product
works or to promote a sale price?”
2. TOUCH
To appeal to touch, another
key sense, Lawrence suggests that rather
than consistently direct and
control the sales process, let the
customer explore your products
independently.
“When you’re showing a potential
customer a hot tub, let them touch all
the bells and whistles on it themselves,”
says Lawrence. “Let them figure out
how it works. There’s a reason why no
one looks at the instruction manual of
an iPhone. It’s supposed to be intuitive.
Manufacturers are spending tons of
time and money to make products
that are intuitive, so, let your customer
figure out your products on their own.
You should only be there to assist them
if they need it.”
To further involve customers,
he proposes the incorporation of
interactive displays into showrooms.
Whether showcasing automation
or controls, these displays provide
consumers with a tangible experience.
“Interactive displays are another
element that consumers can see, feel,
touch and interact with,” he says. “The
longer a customer stays in your retail
store, the more likely they are to buy
something from you. You need to get
your products into their hands and let
them drive the sales conversation.”
3. TASTE
According to Lawrence, the
sense of taste is the most accessible.
He suggests a simple yet impactful
strategy — serving drinks, which incurs
minimal costs but leaves a lasting
impression on customers.
“There’s immense value in
providing drinks in your retail store;
it’s a gesture of courtesy,” Lawrence
emphasizes. To enhance the experience,
he recommends making the drinks
regional. “I work in Atlanta, Ga., so
sweet tea is a big deal. If you work in the
South like I do, brew your own sweet
tea and serve it to your customers,
and I promise you, this thoughtfulness
will pay for itself in the long run. In the
wintertime, serve hot chocolate. Always
have a coffee station with something as
simple as a Keurig with some K Cups.
Appealing to your customer’s taste
should be simple and fun.”
Beyond beverages, food is another
effective way to tantalize customers’
taste buds and open their wallets. “In
the summertime, you should definitely
be serving ice cream,” says Lawrence.
“Get a freezer display online, a few
varieties of ice cream from the store, and
there you go — you now have a treat
for both children and adults alike. And
customers, feeling obligated to finish
their treat before leaving your store, are
likely to spend more time and money.”
To add a marketing touch, wrap
your business name or company logo
around the ice cream freezer, too.
4. SMELL
Seventy-five percent of
memories are correlated back to scent.
“Whether it’s the smell of a cigar that
reminds you of your grandfather’s
couch, or the smell of flowers that
reminds you of your first girlfriend,
our memories are connected to scent
in some way,” says Lawrence. “So it’s
really important to use this fact when
setting up our retail stores.”
But, while some people like the
smell of chlorine, Lawrence would
argue a whopping majority of your
customers don’t. How then, do you
appeal to a customer’s sense of smell
when most hot tubs smell like nothing
and most chemicals smell unappealing?
Lawrence suggests diffusers. “Diffusers
are relatively inexpensive and can
make all the difference in what your
showroom smells like.”
To help lock down your scent,
Lawrences recommends the company
ScentAir, which will allow you to do
scent sampling by sending you a little
sample kit. They also have scentmasking
technology that hides the
smell of bad scents. “You are going
to spend a little bit more money,
but you can actually give them a
customer’s profile, and they will give
you a recommendation on the type
of scent, based upon the customer’s
demographic profile.
“And you should absolutely profile
your customers — find out what they
like to smell when they’re using their
pool or hot tub. Make sure you use
the same scent all throughout your
store and at all your locations, too.
You want your customers thinking of
your business whenever they smell the
scent you choose to pump out into
your showroom.”
5. SOUND
In concluding his presentation,
Lawrence shed light on the art
of playing music in retail stores,
emphasizing the need for careful
planning regarding the type, timing, and
volume to resonate with customers.
“Why are restaurants loud? The first
reason has to do with finances. The
louder the music and the environment,
the more likely you are to leave.
Restaurants have the opposite goal
of retail stores; they want to turn
over tables, whereas we want to keep
customers in our showrooms for as
long as possible. The second reason: If
one of your senses is heightened — so
in the case of a restaurant, sound would
be heightened — then your other four
senses will also become stimulated, so
the food will actually taste better.”
Using grocery stores as an example,
he illustrated how the choice of music
should align with the age demographics
of customers at different times. Morning
and daytime shoppers, typically older
individuals, are treated to ’60s music,
while evenings and weekends cater
to Generation X and Millennials with
2000s hits and a sprinkle of Disney
tunes. “You need to incorporate this type
of music profiling into your showroom
so that you keep all your customers
engaged at all times,” he says.
Highlighting the importance
of varying playlists and product
demonstration videos on display
screens, Lawrence cautions against
looping music, which could annoy your employees.
Drawing from a Starbucks encounter,
he shared the negative impact of
repetitive music on employee morale.
“If you put something on loop, your
employees are going to go insane,” says
Lawrence. “You don’t want to jeopardize
your employees’ senses in order to appeal
to your customers — there always needs
to be some sort of compromise.”
