Poland's first whiff of sensual marketing

If you have ever left a supermarket with a basket full of weird products that you don't need, a perplexed expression on your face and some catchy tune stuck in your head that you swear you have never heard before, then you are either a compulsive shopper or the shop's audio marketing strategy is working well.

Research on the influence of music on shoppers' behavior conducted all over the world since the early 60s seems to confirm that the right choice of tunes can make sales figures rocket.

However, you cannot just bombard your customers with a selection of the Barry Manilow or Julio Iglesias hits that you danced to in your younger days. If you want potential buyers to become enchanted by sweet melodies and indulge in shopping sprees, you'd better turn to the real experts in the field.

In Internet Media Services (IMS) - the first Polish company to offer audio-marketing services based on internet technology - the set of sales-enhancing tunes is prepared by a team of psychologists, DJs and marketing specialists.

Well selected music can be no replacement for an overall marketing strategy warns Michał Kornacki, co-founder of IMS. Nevertheless, such big names as Tesco, Geant, Marks & Spencer, Belvedere Restaurant and many more have decided it is a good idea to invest in an interactive audio marketing system.

"We provide each of our customers with a kind of a private radio station created with Selector software and then conduct monthly checks to see whether any adjustments are needed in  case the target audience or anything else has changed," explains Kornacki.

But hearing is not the only sense the company likes to tease. They are introducing a new service called aroma marketing and it is not just about getting rid of bad smells in your shop. When lingerie chain Victoria's Secret started to fill their shops with mixtures of aphrodisiac aromas - such as ylang-ylang, the sales of sexy bras and panties soared by a stunning 40 percent.

"The aim of aroma marketing is to make the client relax. Nice smells evoke positive emotions, it is about playing on people's senses. If they feel good, maybe they'll buy more," says Kornacki.

Whether you believe in such methods or not, it's worth a try. Even if your customers don't become relaxed enough to spend more money, maybe at least you'll be less tense about your sales levels.