Gender-congruent ambient scent influences on approach and avoidance behaviors in a retail store

Ambient scent in a retail environment can influence consumers with such effects likely moderated by congruity between the scent and the retailer's product offering. Prior research does not document such congruity effects for products without an inherent scent and in real-world settings. This article addresses these shortcomings by exploring the evaluative and behavioral effects of congruity between the perceived gender of an ambient scent and a store's gender-based products. A field experiment demonstrates scent congruity to influence perceptions of the store, its merchandise, and actual sales. Supporting an S–O–R interpretation, internal consumer responses to the environment mediated these effects.