Significance of verbal and visual cues in communicating perfume properties over the Internet

Abstract

This article fills a gap in the literature by exploring e-shoppers' views on the ability of verbal and visual cues to represent scents of unknown perfumes. In-depth face-to-face interviews were conducted with 27 consumers from Brazil, Iran, and Portugal. Results demonstrate that visual cues could complement verbal descriptions in conveying the type of scent of perfumes. In addition, this study identified a set of associations between several colors and types of scents. Overall, this article argues that consistent combinations of perfume components' symbolic and sensory verbal descriptions, colors, and images should be developed to effectively convey the scent of an unknown perfume, which can attract more e-shoppers and eventually boost online sales. Cross-cultural comparisons are also highlighted. The present study advances the knowledge of how perfume companies and e-tailors can take the advantage of implementing sensory cues to facilitate the online purchase of a typical experience product.