Does Age Attenuate the Impact of Pleasant Ambient Scent on Consumer Response?

A large-scale field survey (n = 592) was conducted in a suburban shopping mall to assess the impact of pleasant ambient scent on consumer spending as a function of shopper age. A citrus scent was systematically emitted into the shopping mall (or not) over several weeks, and as shoppers were about to exit the mall, they were intercepted to complete a survey. In the survey, respondents reported the amount of expenditures in the mall that day as well as their perceptions of the mall and demographic characteristics, such as age. The results indicate that shoppers spent significantly more in the mall with the presence of the pleasant ambient scent, but this result was true only among younger shoppers. Theoretical and practical implications of the reduced impact of ambient scent on older persons are discussed.