A world of senses

The Importance of Sense Preferences in Marketing

You have probably noticed it sometimes: you walk into a room and you immediately feel comfortable there. The atmosphere is good, you feel at ease, the people seem nice and time seems to go faster than you think. What is that elusive thing that makes you feel this way?

We perceive the world with our five senses: hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting and smelling. Every day we receive millions of stimuli that we unconsciously process into a coherent whole. Many of these stimuli help us in our everyday functioning: you pay attention to what you see and hear in traffic, you listen to the news on the radio, you tidy up your house so that everything is back in its place, and so on. However, it is also the sensory stimuli that often unconsciously cause us to feel an emotion. For example, you can be moved by a beautiful piece of music, become happy with a well-known scent from the past or be inspired by a beautiful work of art.

So far, so good, you might think. But, -and here comes the tricky part- how come one person enjoys classical music while another hates it, and the third person might not even notice? Why is it that one person is at ease in a room, while the other is restless? A lot has to do with that person's sensory preference. Depending on our disposition and character, we unconsciously shape our experiences through our dominant senses. The dominant sense is also the sense we fall back on first in panic situations. For example, someone with the dominant sense of 'seeing' will immediately look for the departure boards if he or she is in a hurry at the station, while someone with the dominant sense of 'feel' is more likely to approach an employee for help. Also in a store, a visual person will place much more value on a mirrored shelf, while an auditory person will place more value on the music being played.

Consumers are therefore unconsciously guided by their dominant sense. And what sense that is is different for every consumer. The latter is a crucial point where entrepreneurs too often miss opportunities. When you map out the sensory preferences of your customer group, you can communicate with them in a much more targeted way, both online and in a possible retail environment. Research by Senta shows: when you adjust the sensory stimuli in your communication in such a way that they form a coherent whole on the one hand and appeal to your customer in the right way on the other, you increase your customer loyalty and brand value. The customer will unconsciously have a more positive feeling about a visit to your site or store, and will therefore like to come back.

The research also shows that 40% is visual, 20% auditory, 20% feels and 20% tastes/smells. So it is a missed opportunity to spend all the marketing budget on visual stimuli. This allows you to reach a rational group that often makes purchasing decisions based on price. The 'feel/taste/smells' appreciate personal contact and are willing to spend a lot of money if it 'feels right' somewhere. This is the group that talks positively about your brand and would like to establish a long-term relationship with your brand. Touch this group in the heart and take advantage of this!

You can use the knowledge about the different sensory groups to better tailor marketing efforts to your target group, but the results are also recognizable in your private environment. It teaches you that not everyone perceives the world the way you do. Curious about your sensory talent, the talent of your colleagues or your partner? Take the test

Co-creation Robijn & Zwitsal

Is your sensory talent taste-smelling? Then you are probably already looking for this product in the supermarket. The scent of Zwitsal is so appreciated by Dutch women that Robijn has developed a detergent especially with this recognizable scent that makes women happy. A fun sensory-stimulating concept that responds to the needs of a community!