Adriana Starostová

University of Economics

Prague, Czech Republic

adriana.starostova@vse.cz

The Effect of Product Colour and Odour on Consumers’ Perceived Preference and Intensity Ratings

Pavel Zimmermann

University of Economics

Prague, Czech Republic

zimmerp@vse.cz

Václav Stříteský

University of Economics

Prague, Czech Republic

stritesv@vse.cz

Abstract. Due to high competitiveness, product innovation requirements and customer demand, the importance of the field of sensory marketing has increased. The term refers to the characteristics of products, things or even services that might impact our further sensory input and trigger human senses. This study presents the results of an experiment designed to test the effect of 16 colour and scent combinations (representing visual and olfactory modalities) on perceived preference and intensity. The research aims to investigate whether the same scent can be rated differently in variously coloured packaging and therefore affect consumers’ perception and evaluations. A total of 301 students have taken a part in this experiment. The colours used in this experiment were green, yellow, orange and purple. The scents were selected to correspond to the widely commercially used odour/ colour combinations in the FMCG sector in the Czech Republic. The results suggest that colour played a significant role in consumers’ preference ratings when evaluating the same scent and therefore colour has the ability to affect the perception of odour. However, colour did not have any effect on perceived intensity ratings. Linear regression analysis suggests that semantic associations as used in FMCG sector for colour-odour congruency does not fit the data and hence, the model for prediction of preference ratings is probably far more complicated.

Received: April, 2018

1st Revision: October, 2018

Accepted: November, 2018

DOI: 10.14254/2071-8330.2018/11-4/22

JEL Classification: M31, M39

Keywords: Sensory Marketing, cross-modal correspondences, consumer behaviour, consumer preference, scent intensity, Czech Republic