The Interaction of Different Sensory Stimuli

The previous chapters described the relevance and impact of individual sensory stimuli on consumer behavior. In retail, however, the reality is considerably more complex. Consumers inevitably perceive retail environments and products in a multisensory way (i.e., simultaneously with all their senses). Thus, the presence of one sensory stimulus (e.g., scent) can influence how consumers react to another stimulus (e.g., music). Specifically, stimuli that appeal to different sensory modalities reinforce or complement one another, thereby influencing the perception and evaluation of the retail environment, the retailer, individual products, or even brands. Combining a scent with specific background music can, for example, lead to an enhanced shopping experience compared to using scent or music in isolation. In general, a multisensory approach has stronger effects on consumers than simply adding other stimuli appealing to the same sensory modality. The chapter highlights the concept of multisensory congruence, where stimuli that fit well together enhance evaluations of the retail environment, products, and brands. Additionally, we discuss the concept of crossmodal correspondences, illustrating how perceptions in one sensory modality can influence perceptions in another sensory modality.