Can bad smells impact the perception of your business??

We all know that having to endure 'bad smells' is not a great experience, but how does this impact on your business?  How do people feel when they come into your washrooms, and it smells not so nice? 

Some time ago, psychologist David Pizzaro ran an experiment on the streets of New York, USA. He recreated the smell of human flatulence and asked passers-by to have a smell, in order to reveal the profound power of disgust. As person after person sniffed, made a face, and walked away, David was struck by just how universal the experience of disgust really is.

Before humans as a speicies had developed any knowledge or understanding of disease, this feeling of disgust prevented contagion by making us shy away from biologically harmful things like vomit, faeces and rotting meat. This emotion is a potent trigger for a lot of human behaviour, which is understandable given that it evolved to protect us from illness and death. 

However, the remit of disgust has broadened since then, there are more and more of us now, we live in confined spaces, are super-social and we are becoming ever crowded.  Therefore, disgust isn’t always a response to something physical and is now more connected with 'smell' than ever before.   Public bathrooms has become a hot spot for this build up of malodour, and it is something I dislike a great deal.  There have been a lot of studies about washroom behaviour and hygiene, so we're going to explore these. 

Human responses and washroom management

To help businesses understand the necessity for effective washroom management, an insight into human emotional responses is crucial. Recent research investigated whether the impact of scent and the associated emotional responses was actually bigger than we think they are.

A physiological impact of washroom hygiene was conducted – which focused on the science behind people’s reactions and how people feel. It also looked at the extent to which different public washroom elements impacted people’s behaviours on an unconscious level.

This study involved 48 participants who were recruited to walk around a bad-smelling or a pleasant-smelling washroom. Within the study, the variables included  cubicles which ranged from a clean cubicle to unflushed faeces and overflowing sanitary bins. The results found a 40% increase in emotional impact when people were faced with a bad vs a good smell. This was present across all cubical conditions, even if the cubicle appeared clean and hygienic.

Bad smell amplified the physiological reactions to visual signs of poor hygiene, with people having a 39% increase in emotional impact when they encountered an overflowing sanitary bin, compared to a clean cubicle and a 28% higher emotional impact when they encountered paper on the floor and the toilet seat up.

Furthermore, eye tracking showed that 91% of people looked around to detect the source of poor hygiene when they encountered a bad smell.  This searching for the source of the bad smell allowed other elements of the washroom to be questioned and criticised. Thus allowing participants to take in their full surroundings, leading them to identify if there were any other unsavoury elements within their surroundings.  From a physiological perspective this is fascinating – as it means that our sense of smell can unconsciously impact what we see: or what we think we’re going to see.

But what does this mean in practical terms? It is undisputed that multi-sensory perceptions have been known to influence our behaviour and feelings: one only has to look at the world of scent marketing and retail interiors to understand this. But disgust is a more potent emotion, and far more reactive. As a result, should businesses not be paying more attention to good air care solutions, and good overall hygiene in order to attract and keep their customers happy?

The consumer and public washrooms

It’s clear that consumers will go to lengths to avoid coming into contact with germs in public washrooms. For some, it means not touching things directly (a previous survey found that 34% of consumers avoid touching things in washrooms). For others, it means avoiding the establishment altogether. Some individuals won't even use the hand dryers in public restrooms for fear of germs. 

We live in an age where word of mouth and online reviews can stregthen or tarnish any business. A simple tweet, or an online review can turn off customers from your store.

It stands to reason that customers avoid returning to establishments that they feel don’t meet their criteria: previous research from found that 62% of respondents would leave or not return to a business with dirty-smelling washrooms. Personally, I have entered an eaterie, visited the toilets once we've been seated; been absolutely appalled, returned to the table and my entire party has left.  Particularly in restaurants, your toilets are an indication of your cleanliness across your entire establishment. 

Air care that can neutralise and freshen malodour is crucial to ensure that customers are left with a pleasant memory of your brand and their experience of it. It is vital for business owners to step up and provide facilities that will provoke positive emotional responses.