The relationship between smell, emotions and consumers' behavioural attitudes: an applied research on the Bus Transportation Company of Braga – TUB
Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Study design: Clinical Trial
Abstract: An Applied Research on the Bus Transportation Company of Braga -TUBThe relationship between scent and consumer behaviour derives from the notion of atmospherics, since it is there that scents influence the consumers even without them noticing it.Aromatization of spaces has become a useful strategy to take advantage from both sides of this relationship.A scented atmosphere not only induces a more pleasurable environment where the customers spend more time and money, but also increases their willingness to pay and instigates a more detailed examination of the products.The research problem of this investigation is: How the odour on the buses influences the passengers' emotion states, their perceptions about the experience and the company, and postconsumption intentions?The purpose of this dissertation is to understand the relationship between odour, emotions and customer's post-consumption attitudes.Since most studies of this kind are performed as a laboratory experience, this research collected data from a real-life setting, i.e. a bus from Transportes Urbanos de Braga.The method used for this investigation is a quasi-experiment, where there are two moments: one before the aromatization of the bus, and the second, after its aromatization.To better understand the impact of smell in bus users a quantitative approach, through a questionnaire, was used.This investigation proved that: emotions influence positively experience, memory and corporate image; satisfaction is positively influenced by experience and corporate image and it also positively influences repurchase intention, intensification of use, word-of-mouth and price perception.Additionally, proved that when a bus is aromatized: the experience, memory and image of the company are more positively evaluated; the satisfaction of bus users and their intensification of use and recommendation of a service are higher; and the price perception of bus users is lower.Besides those accomplishments, this research also reached the conclusion that odour can function as a moderating variable, since it was proven that odour could be a moderating variable between emotions and experience, emotions and memory, experience and satisfaction, corporate image and satisfaction, satisfaction and intensification of use and satisfaction and word-of-mouth.
Author: Joana Daniela Mendes Carvalho
Language: English
Subfield: Marketing
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2784671348