Psychology of Popcorn: "Want some free popcorn with that?"
Last week, I was getting new tires put on the "Popcornmobile", and noticed in the lobby of the tire place, they have a popcorn machine; always warm, and stocked full of free popcorn. And, as I sat there actively trying to ignore the rerun of "Judge Judy" on the lobby television, I spent a great deal of time thinking about all the retailers we have as repeat customers at ePopcorn.com who give away popcorn for free to their customers. Car dealerships, garages, pharmacies, "big box" retailers, home improvement centers, even churches and schools give away free popcorn. On the surface, it would seem that this would be a simple loss of revenue once the machine, the popcorn, the oil, the salt, the bags, etc. are purchased. But, just about every single one of our customers who are giving away free popcorn would never dream of charging for it, or discontinuing their "free popcorn" program. So, the question begs, "If there is a loss of revenue, what sense does it make to give it away for free?" Hint: the answer stinks.
Our sense of smell is a very powerful thing. The olfactory nerves are linked to a very primitive part of the brain called the limbic system. These nerves are also linked to the cortex. The limbic system is important to the processing of emotions, memory and, (more generically) behavior. The cortex is very involved with conscious thought, and is considered a "higher" functioning part of the brain. Because the olfactory nerves are linked to both of these systems, smells often affect people in a very profound way, based on their past experiences. Smells can bring back memories, and heavily influence mood and even influence some of the body's physical responses to stimuli (involuntarily making a face when you smell something bad, or even using aromatic herbs to help encourage sleep).
So, when a customer walks into, say, a car dealership and smells hot, fresh popcorn, their brain generally defaults to an unconscious positive emotional response linked to their own history. Think about what activities are historically related to the smell of popcorn. Movies, carnivals, sporting events, parties and parades are all very positive arenas for the specific smell of hot buttered popcorn. Therefore, a person who is confronted with the smell of popcorn is more likely to become jovial, relaxed, positive and prone to being amiable. This is a very good thing for a retailer who wants to keep their customers in a friendly and approachable frame of mind. Thus, it is GREAT for stimulating sales! The smell of an electrical fire, on the other hand, has the exact opposite response. Which, is why you never see "electrical fire" scented room freshener. This, and it would just be nasty-smelling.
Often, it is simply the act of making popcorn that has this sensory effect, and the popcorn does not have to actually even be consumed. For example, I know of a real estate agent who always pops a bag of popcorn in the microwave before showing a property to a prospective buyer. Once the popcorn is popped, she opens the bag to allow the steam and smell to escape, and throws it away, never actually eating it. However, it does fill the property with that very distinctive popcorn odor that says, "Hey, let's have a good time! Relax, you're having fun. There is something special going on."
In conclusion, if you have a retail environment that needs a bit of artificial "customer mood enhancement", you should give popcorn a try. Though, it really is a good idea to actually have popcorn on hand for your happy customers, because once they smell it, they will ask, "Where's the popcorn? Can I have some?"
