The Impact of Background Scent on Consumer Attention and Arousal During a Binary Choice Task: A Neuromarketing Study
(A2020-63743)

AUTHORS

Athanasios Gkaintatzis, Athens University of Economics and Business ; Kalypso Karantinou, Athens University of Economics & Business; Efthymios Constantinides, University of Twente; Rob van der Lubbe, University of Twente

KEYWORDS

Neuromarketing; Electroencephalogram (EEG); Scent

ABSTRACT

Environmental stimulation affects consumers physiologically, cognitively, emotionally and behaviorally. Variation of stimuli is described as environmental load. The paper aims to investigate the effect of scent-induced load on consumer’s attention and arousal. Using electroencephalography (EEG) in combination with electrooculography (EOG) and electrodermal activity (EDA) in a lab experimental design, participants were asked to choose between two equivalent versions of consumer products in three different environmental conditions: one with an arousing peppermint scent, one with a relaxing lavender scent and one without background scent. During this binary choice task, consumers’ attention and arousal were measured via posterior controlateral negativity (PCN). The results of this on-going research are expected to advance our knowledge on the impact of scent on consumer behavior and resolve certain inconsistencies in previous scentscape research by employing neuromarketing methods.