Sensory Imagery Marketing: Appealing Consumers' Senses in Digital Marketplaces through Sensory Imagery
(A2020-64439)

AUTHORS

Ann-Catrin Pristl, University of Kassel

KEYWORDS

sensory imagery; imagery appeals; online shopping

ABSTRACT

Marketers highly profit from sensory experiences their customers make in interaction with their products. However, online touchpoints face the drawback, that this is not possible directly for most of the human senses, leading to phenomena like showrooming and constantly increasing return rates. Sensory imagery as possibility to evoke senses indirectly within consumers can bridge this physical gap. Through systematically reviewing literature on imagery we depict the actual state of research. On this basis, the current research introduces a concept of sensory imagery in marketing by providing systematic accounts and motivational underpinnings. Furthermore, we aim at pointing out, which topics seem to be required and fruitful subjects to research. Hence, the current research contributes to the field of digital marketing by providing approaches for enhancing the sensory-richness of the online customer experience.